WITCH Season 5: Homeland
by HeartofMeridian
Summary: Endarno is gone, but his legacy remains. With a dire prophecy looming over their heads, the Guardians turn to Balsilide for answers. But with unknown powers and dangers lurking behind every corner, will they find more then they've bargained for? A follow-up to W.I.T.C.H Season 3 and W.I.T.C.H Season 4: Wants and Needs.
1. Prologue

W.I.T.C.H

Season 5: Homeland

Prologue

Balsilide

Night fell on the capital city of Balsilide. Down in their houses, the people of the city finished their work for the day and glanced casually at the approaching darkness, not knowing that the darkness stared back.

From atop a nearby hill, a shadow moved quickly and quietly through the grass, stopping only to peer down at the houses below him. The shadow was alone, not that it mattered to him. Even if someone did see him moving towards the city, the casual passerby would merely dismiss the dark, featureless figure as a trick of the fading light. He moved again, slower this time, gaining a feel for the land once more. It had been long, too long, he thought, since he had last traveled these hills. So much had changed. Towns had become cities, houses into castles. He had felt many emotions since his return, relief, joy, sadness and, of course, anger, but now he felt one more. Fear. Was he too late? Had too much time gone by? Had he let down his people once more?

He banished such thoughts from his head and continued his decent. With a greater sense of caution, he reached the edge of the city and drifted in between houses. He did not know these streets, just one more disadvantage he would have to overcome. Another burst of fear pounded in his head, but he silenced it quickly. After all, he thought, he had nothing left to lose, and therefore nothing left to fear.

One by one the lights of the houses flickered out, as families rested for the night. With regret, he realized that he too needed shelter for the night, and began searching for somewhere to sleep. He looked at the dirt below him with satisfaction. Once again, mother Balsilide would provide for him. The ground would be his bed, and the stars his blanket. It was not much, but for him it was more satisfying then the finest linen.

It pained him to rest after such long captivity, but he knew it was the only way. He would do it right this time, no mistakes. And for that, he needed rest. He found a stable near the edge of town and lay down behind a large stone wall. With heavy heart and busy mind he fell asleep. There would be much to do in the following days, and much to accomplish before he had his justice, his vengeance, and finally, his peace.


	2. Previous Engagements

**Author's note:**** Hello, and welcome to W.I.T.C.H Season 5: Homeland. For those of you unfamiliar with my stories, thanks for checking this one out. I've also written a season 3 and season 4, continuing from where the cartoon left off. If you have not read those stories, then this one is not going to make any sense. Sorry, but I hope you'll give the other ones a try. If you do know my stories, then thanks for all the continued support. I'd like to apologize for taking so long to get this one out. I've been writing some other stuff, both W.I.T.C.H and non-W.I.T.C.H related, and I thank you for your patience. Now, if you're not already bored stiff by this super long intro, I present to you:**

Chapter 1

Previous Engagements

Heatherfield

The cold night air blew onto Shell Beach, tussling Will's short, red hair, and sending a chill through her body. Adjusting a disobedient strand of hair from her face, she tightened her grasp on Matt, who was making a valiant, if not vain attempt to block the wind. With the two of them walking side by side under the stars, Will felt more at peace then she had for months. Still, underneath the tranquility she could sense an unspoken tension.

"And so by killing himself, he was no longer alive and we could hear about the prophecy. He may have been a villain, but in the end, he sacrificed himself for the good of the universe." Will said, finishing her story.

She had spent the last twenty minutes telling Matt the details of their most recent adventure. She had told him everything from the murder of Mr. Jantique on Meridian, to Elyon's removal from the throne, the defeat and death of Endarno, and finally, the prophecy declaring that the Guardians would destroy the universe.

"He must have been very dedicated." Matt said with little enthusiasm.

"Is everything all right?" Will asked, looking up at her boyfriend. "Ever since I started talking about Endarno you've been distant."

Matt's face was cold and emotionless, as was his disposition, and it was starting to worry Will. There was none of the usual kindness and compassion Will had come to expect behind his blue eyes.

"I just don't understand why you're telling me all of this." Matt said.

"What do you mean? I thought you wanted to be part of my Guardian life?" Will said, furrowing her brow.

"I do. Which is why I don't understand why you're telling me these stories, when I could have seen them in person."

Will turned her gaze to the sand beneath her feet. She had feared that their conversation would end like this.

"I have powers, Will." Matt began. "I can fly, I can shoot lasers out of my face and all sorts of other useful things. I can…"

"Don't." Will interrupted. "You don't need to explain yourself, because I already know your arguments, and I agree with all of them. You're strong and powerful, and I'm being silly, childish and paranoid. I already know this."

"So why won't you let me come with you and the girls? Why am I always left on the sidelines?"

"Honestly?" Will asked.

"I think we can always be honest with each other." Matt replied.

"It's because I'm scared." Will said, not looking away from the sand. "How am I going to feel if you come with us and get hurt, or worse. How would I be able to live with myself if something happened to you during a mission?"

"And how do you think I would feel if something happened to you, and I could have saved you, but I wasn't there?" Matt countered.

Will sighed, but said nothing. Like always, Matt was right, and she had no response to him.

"Look at all the things you've faced, just in the last month." Matt continued. "White Knights, fake Guardians and Endarno himself. And who knows what you'll face this month? I feel useless on Earth. You're out there, saving the universe, and what do I do? Sit and worry about you. I just want to help."

"Fine." Will said, facing the inevitable. She never had been able to say no to Matt.

"But we do it slowly. There's a festival tomorrow, and it's pretty important. It's to celebrate the opening of the Meridian/Balsilide portal. Elyon and the Honor Guard will be there, as will the president of Balsilide and the R.E.G. We've been asked to attend as security, and I'd be happy if you came with us."

"Security?" Matt said, raising and eyebrow, "With two elite teams of soldiers there? Is that necessary?"

"I think we're protecting them from each other." Will said with a smile. "Even with the portal, it's pretty clear that the two worlds don't like each other."

"So we're protecting them from themselves?"

"We're probably not doing anything." Will said with a shrug. "It's a fancy dinner. A chance to sample Balsilide cuisine and show off the wings. Nice and simple. The only real danger is being bored to death."

"Uh huh." Matt said, unconvinced.

In the back of their minds, both Will and Matt knew that nothing in their lives was 'nice and simple'. It seemed as if danger was lurking around every corner, and it was just a matter of time before their lives were once more turned upside down. Still, now was not the time to think about monsters and danger. Tonight was for smiling and laughing under the stars, and for enjoying the peace they shared, for however long it lasted.

Meridian

Elyon glared down the length of the long, wooden table. The seven men in front of her had faced monsters and tyrants without fear, yet they all fell silent under the icy gaze of their queen.

"This is not, repeat not, a military operation," Elyon said, looking each man in the eye for effect. "You are not attending the dinner as the Honor Guard. You are attending as the best and the brightest that Meridian has to offer. There will be no battles. There will be no fights. You're not even going to argue about who's first in line to the buffet! This is not a war, this is a nice, relaxing dinner."

The Honor Guard looked away sheepishly, like children who had been caught by their mother. Only Vathek dared speak.

"There's a buffet?"

Try as she might, Elyon could not manage to keep her stoic expression, and let slip a smile and a laugh, much to the relief of those at the table.

"Yes, Vathek, there is a buffet. But you're not allowed to go to it unless you promise to behave." Elyon said to her friend.

"I promise."

"Maybe I'm missing something," Tynar interrupted, "this is just an ordinary dinner, right? Are you expecting us to get in trouble?"

"Ah, but you have forgotten something," Drake replied. "An ordinary dinner, which is on Balsilide. Not to mention the R.E.G attending. You know, the guys who tried to kill us, and seem rather anxious to try again?"

"I hate to say it, but Drake's right." Elyon said with a sigh. "This is supposed to be an event celebrating the opening of the trans-planetary portal, but I don't have to tell you that relations between Meridian and Balsilide are far from good."

"In our defense, it would help a lot if they weren't a bunch of…" Raythor began.

"I don't want to hear it, Raythor. We're trying to make friends, not more enemies. We've got enough of those." Elyon interrupted, but her face told everyone that she did not necessarily disagree with whatever adjective Raythor was going to use.

"So this means we won't be taking weapons?" Walli asked.

"Correct."

"No weapons?" Vathek said, standing up. "But my mace…"

"You don't need your mace to eat," Elyon replied, folding her arms. Vathek mumbled something, but it was too quiet for Elyon to hear. "Now, if there's nothing more, you may all return to your regular duties. Except for you, Caleb. Please remain behind."

Caleb, who had been silent up to know, looked surprised, but remained seated as the others filled out.

"So, am I in trouble?" Caleb said once he and Elyon were alone.

"That's up to you," Elyon replied, pulling a booklet from under her chair. "This is the report you wrote about what went on in Kandrakar."

"Uh oh."

"It's very detailed," Elyon said, flipping through the pages. "Lots on Endarno, the pseudo-guardians, and even the chambers you had to pass through in order to get to the Engine of Kandrakar. You record everything in great detail, except the fifth room."

Elyon briefly looked up to see if this was having any effect on Caleb, but he stared back with unflinching eyes.

"This is all you have to say about that room," Elyon continued, "and I quote 'once we entered the fifth room, we were incapacitated, with the exception of Walli and Raythor, who made it on to the Engine.' Seems a little sparse, don't you agree?"

Caleb said nothing.

"So here's my question," Elyon said, putting the papers down. "What happened in that final room?"

Caleb bit his lip and looked away. He tried to focus on anything other then Elyon's eyes. At this point, he would have welcomed an attack if it got him out of this room.

"Why don't you just ask the others?" he asked.

"I don't want to hear it from them, I want to hear it from you."

Caleb opened his mouth, but hesitated once more. Elyon smiled and put her hand on Caleb's.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't order you to tell me what happened," she said. "So I'm not asking you as your Queen, I'm asking you as a friend. If something is bothering you, and I can help…"

"Sorry Elyon." Caleb said, standing up. "I appreciate the thought, but there are something's you just can't help with."

Caleb gave Elyon one last smile, but it was an empty one. As he turned to leave, Elyon wanted nothing more then to stop him. She badly wanted to find out what was wrong with her friend, and to make it right once more, but she knew she couldn't. It was a harsh lesson, but one she had learned well long ago at the hands of Nerissa. Sometimes, there really was nothing she could do. But even though she knew she had to watch him leave, it didn't make it any easier.

Balsilide

A shadow awoke on Balsilide. Shapeless, the pitch-black entity moved through the streets, disguising itself behind buildings, shops and people. It had been a long time since the shadow had travelled these streets, but its memory, and its mind were still clear.

Throughout the day, the shadow watched and observed, taking in its surroundings with growing interest. As evening fell it made its way to the front of Weldrick Palace, the home and workplace of all of Balsilide's highest officials. After taking time to plan its entrance, it waited for nightfall, and then slipped past the guards and in through an open side door.

Upon entering the palace, the shadow scanned the long, dark hallways but found no signs of activity. The few people who glanced in the direction of the shadowy being simply dismissed the dark blur as a trick of the light, or a sign that they had been working too hard. With ease, the shadow made its way to the royal chambers, where the King of Balsilide slept, seemingly safe. With surprising strength, the shadow lifted up an empty, nearby water jug, and lifted it above the King's head.

It hesitated, jug lifted high. How easy it would be, it thought. How simple, and no one would ever know the culprit. And yet, it was too easy, too clean. They would not understand this message. It placed the jug back where it belonged, slid its shadowy form underneath the royal bed, and waited for morning.

Awoken by the sound of feet and the first rays of sunlight, the shadow watched from under the bed as the King awoke and began his daily routine. Within minutes, a royal aide entered with the items necessary to keep the King looking his royal self.

"Good morning, your majesty," the aide said, putting down his many items. "Did you sleep well? You have an important night to look forward to!"

"I fear that tonight is nothing to look forward to, merely something else to dread." The King replied gruffly.

"Because of the Meridianites?"

"Exactly! Tonight is simply one more night I have to deal with those people. They're so… so…"

"Uncivilized?" the aide offered.

"Yes! Uncivilized! There is no style, no class on Meridian. On Balsilide, Elyon and her ilk would be no more then outlaws and thieves, but on the peasant planet of Meridian, they are royalty."

"But surely after tonight you need have no more dealings with them, correct?"

"On the contrary, we must keep talks going with the Meridian people for as long as possible!" the King said, beginning to wash his face.

"Sir?" the aide asked, puzzled.

"They have something of mine," the King said in hushed tones. "And I want it back. But I can't without the support of the people."

"The ballot is mightier then the sword?" the aide replied.

"Exactly. One of the downsides of having elected governments." the King said, drying himself off.

"Well, I'm sure tonight will prove to interesting, at the very least."

The King and the aide continued to speak as they left the room, but the shadow did not follow. He had heard enough to begin creating a makeshift plan in his head. Had he not lacked the features necessary to smile, he would have done so now. The King's aide was right, he thought, tonight would be very interesting.


	3. Food for Thought

Chapter 2

Food for Thought

Heatherfield

Irma Lair fixed a smile upon her face and looked up. Above her, the name _Moxie's_ was written in big, red, cursive letters, so that all of downtown Heatherfield could see. Irma had seen the sign many times before, but the letters never had the meaning that they did tonight. Tonight, it stood for more then just a restaurant. Tonight, it stood for style, class and distinction. Withering under the sign's neon glow, Irma felt like she had none of those things. Still, she was Irma Lair. She had faced monsters, tyrants and beings made out of sand, and she would not be stopped by a simple sign.

Wearing her brightest smile, the one she had spent hours practicing in front of the mirror, Irma boldly pushed open the doors and strode inside. In front of her, standing behind a small wooden desk was a young woman, no more then twenty, wearing a black and red uniform with two large buttons attached. One button explained that the woman's name was Emma, while the other urged patrons to inquire about the restaurants' daily specials. Upon seeing Irma, Emma looked up, and beamed a smile that put Irma's to shame.

"Hi! Welcome to Moxie's!" Emma said, reaching for a nearby menu. "Table for one?"

"No." Irma replied confidently, "My name is Irma Lair, and I'm here for my first day of work."

"Oh. You're the new kitchen girl." Emma said, making both the menu and her smile disappear.

"Um, something like that. I'm supposed to talk to Mr. Reid?" Irma replied.

"Yeah, yeah, follow me," Emma replied, her charm completely evaporated.

Irma was led past crowded tables towards a room marked 'OWNER'. Irma's guide seemed in no mood for conversation, and Irma was happy to oblige with silence.

"Hey! Bill!" Emma yelled, banging on the door loudly. "Your new girl is here!"

The door was quickly answered by a short, bald man, who shot Emma a quick glare before spotting Irma. His glare was replaced by a beaming smile.

"Irma! Hello! It's good to see you again! How are you?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm fine, I gue…"

"Wonderful! Glad to have you as part of the team!"

Emma began to snicker until a glare from her boss sent her scurrying back to her station.

"As you can see, you'll be working in the best culinary environment in the city." Mr. Reid continued, making sure Emma went straight to her desk.

Mr. Reid proceeded to give Irma a quick tour of the restaurant, spending most of the time in the kitchen area, where Irma was to work. Once Irma had seen everything, and all the proper introductions had been made, he brought Irma to the back of the kitchen.

"Now, as for your station," Mr. Reid began, searching for something among the countertops.

"What will I be working on first?" Irma asked impatiently. "Drinks? Appetizers? Desserts? I make a mean Upside-Down Lava Cake!"

She was interrupted by a green blur heading towards her, which she instinctively caught. Her face wrinkled in disgust as she saw what it was.

"A rag? What's this for?" she asked, holding the offending object at arms length.

"It's for your duties," Mr. Reid explained, keeping his carefully positioned smile. "You'll be our new dishwasher."

"Dishwasher?" Irma exclaimed. "But… But I thought I was going to cook?"

"Oh, my dear Irma, heavens no. We don't just let anyone walk on off the street and let them cook in our kitchens. That would be ridiculous. No, you'll start with dishwashing, and then something may open up with the cleanup crew."

"But I won the competition! Against Josh!"

"Yes you did. Speaking of Josh, he'll be the person you're working beside."

Irma's jaw dropped as Mr. Reid revealed the tall boy, up to his elbows in soapy water. At 6 feet tall, dark curly hair and just a hint of stubble around his chin, Josh made Irma feel very small as he glared down at her.

"I didn't out cook a real chef?" Irma asked weakly. "He was just a dishwasher?"

"Yes." Josh replied sternly. "And now, so are you!"

"I'll leave you two to your work." Mr. Reid said, slowly backing out of the kitchen.

Irma smiled sheepishly at Josh, who only continued to glare.

"No hard feelings?" Irma asked.

Josh said nothing, and turned back to his dishes with disgust. Irma sighed dejectedly, and got to work.

As time passed, the work seemed endless. Every hour brought more dishes with little relief. Irma would not have minded it so much if she had had someone to talk to, but Josh seemed to have little interest in making conversation. Even as the restaurant closed for the night, Irma continued to work until every last piece of cutlery was cleaned and put away. When the day was finally over, she hung up her apron dejectedly. With slumped shoulders and weary legs, she exited through the employee's door and slumped up against the nearby wall.

"Hey! Irma!"

Irma sighed and closed her eyes at the sound of the familiar voice. When she opened them again, Will, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin were walking down the alley way towards her.

"How's our favorite chef?" Hay Lin asked, giving her friend a hug. "Working overtime? I thought you would be home by now."

"Probably slaving over a hot stove." Cornelia added.

"Try a hot sink." Irma said with a faint smile. "I'm no chef. I'm a dishwasher."

"What? But Hay Lin said…" Will began.

"I know, I know, I thought so too." Irma replied. "Guess I was just dreaming if I thought they were going to give someone like me a job like that."

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"Yeah, washing dishes is still a good job. It builds character." Taranee added.

"Thanks, 'mom'." Irma replied, rolling her eyes. "I know it's not a bad job. Besides, what's one more disappointment, right?"

Irma looked away from her friend's sad faces. Will put a hand on her friends' shoulder, but Irma shrugged it off.

"Irma," Will said, "if you're feeling really down…"

"Come on Will, you know me!" Irma said with a laugh and a smile. "When am I ever down? Now, what are four fine, fancy girls such as yourselves doing in a rotten alleyway like this?"

"That's the Irma I know." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"We're just on our way home from a movie. Thought we'd stop by to see you on the way home." Cornelia said.

"Aw, I knew you cared." Irma replied.

"Oh, no. Dark alleyway? Not my idea." Cornelia said.

"We're just glad to see you're doing alright." Will said. "Now let's get out of here and get some rest. Tomorrow's the big dinner on Balsilide remember?"

"Great!" Irma said, walking with her friends. "Um, I don't have to clean dishes afterwards, do I?"

Balsilide

The next night, as the sun began to disappear behind the Towers of Balsilide, the interplanetary feast began. Delegates, diplomats and dignitaries from both worlds sat down and began to eat. In the center of these arrangements was the Table of Honor. At the west end of this table sat Elyon and the Honor Guard, while King Rikar of Balsilide and the R.E.G. sat at the east. In-between these two groups were the Guardians and Matt.

The food was a variety of different shapes, sizes and tastes, ranging from bizarre to delicious, and sometimes both. There were enough different items that everybody managed to find something they like, even if it wasn't on their first try. After a few minutes, Julian glanced over at Cornelia, sitting next to him, and noticed her poking at her food with little interest.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Cornelia replied, still stabbing at her food. "I just, you know, thought I would be sitting next to Caleb."

"Am I not providing enough stimulating conversation?" Julian asked, fork halfway to mouth.

"Oh! No, no, it's not you." Cornelia stammered. "I just, um, that is, uh, you know…"

"I understand." Julian said with a smile. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised to be sitting here as well."

Both Cornelia and Julian glanced down at Caleb, eating quietly on the right hand side of Elyon.

"I know that by her side is where he belongs," Cornelia began, "but we just have so little time to spend with each other. I thought tonight we would be able to…"

"I wouldn't take it personally." Julian replied. "Between the preparation for this dinner, and the events on Kandrakar, it has been a busy week for us all. Caleb's been very quiet ever since he got back from Kandrakar, so I'm sure it has nothing to do with you."

Cornelia seemed pleased with this, and returned her attention to her plate. Julian, however, glanced back at his son. Love had never been Julian's strong point, that much was for sure, but he did know his son better then anyone else. And he wished he felt as confident as he had sounded.

* * *

Irma glanced to her left, and then quickly looked away. Walli, sitting beside her, paid her little attention. Irma took a quick drink from her cup, calmed herself, and then took another drink before attempting to start a conversation.

"Hi."

"Hello." Walli replied, barely looking up from his meal.

"It's uh, it's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. Balsilide is a beautiful world." Walli replied, looking up at the night sky.

Irma kicked herself under the table. Weather? Of all the things to talk about, she chose the weather?

"Are you enjoying your meal?" Walli asked.

"Yeah," Irma replied, relieved. "I mean, I've heard about putting your heart on a plate, but I think this is a real heart!"

"Yes, Yoxen heart is a delicacy here on Balsilide." Walli replied, bringing a forkful of the food to his mouth.

"Uh, actually, I was just trying to make a joke..." Irma said.

"I know."

"Oh."

Irma raised an eyebrow, studying the boy as if he was some strange object she had never seen before.

"You don't laugh or smile much, do you Walli?" Irma said, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth.

"No. I don't." Walli said seriously. "I find laughter very distracting, and I can't afford to be distracted while I work."

"Work?" Irma said with a laugh. "This isn't work! This is just an ordinary dinner!"

"I haven't spent much time around the Guardians or the Honor Guard, but I've learned enough to know that there is no such thing as 'ordinary'. Therefore, I'm always on guard against attack."

Walli leaned in closer to Irma, as to not be overheard.

"Between you and me, there is a collapsible bow and several collapsible arrows hidden in a hollow compartment in my boots."

Irma raised an eyebrow, and resisted the urge to glance down at Walli's footwear.

"Ok, so you're dedicated, got it. But there must be something's you enjoy!" Irma said, exasperated.

"Yes," Walli replied, "I enjoy spending time with friends. It's one of the reasons I stayed in the castle."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's something." Irma said with a sigh.

Walli was a mystery to Irma. She knew nothing about him, and he wasn't exactly the talkative type. He was serious and stoic, and Irma didn't think he had ever smiled in his life, but that wasn't going to stop Irma from tying to make him start now. It was a mystery Irma wanted to solve, and so she wouldn't give up until she did.

"Irma?"

"Yes Walli?"

"You would consider me a friend, correct?"

"Of course."

"Ah. Good."

Irma looked at Walli once more, but this time with a smile. Quite the mystery indeed.

* * *

Two seats down from Irma, Taranee sat next to Laris, a member of the R.E.G., the finest warriors of Balsilide. Laris was the lone female member of the R.E.G., but was also considered the strongest person on the planet. Taranee would be hard to argue the point, as Laris towered over any man she had ever known, including Vathek. The young girl felt like an insect next the Laris's intimidating form. Still, this was a social event, and so Taranee would be social, even if it killed her. Which, if she got on the bad side of Laris, was a distinct possibility.

"Must be nice, huh?" Taranee asked, smiling up at Laris.

The Balsilidian warrior looked down on Taranee, eyebrow raised.

"The dinner," Taranee explained. "You know, a chance to relax and get away from the training and fighting for a day."

"Do you know what R.E.G. means?" Laris replied coldly.

"I-"

"It means we do not relax. Everything we do is for the greater good of the Balsilide people."

"Oh." Taranee replied. "But surely the festival earlier…"

"That the festival was a success is a testament to the weeks of training before hand, and the constant vigilance of all seven members of our team."

Laris shot a gold glare down at the Honor Guard end of the table, where Tynar and Drake were laughing at Raythor, who had just tried a particularly spicy delicacy, and was now going through a multitude of mugs.

"I wish the same could be said for our foreign counterparts."

"But, don't you think that's overreacting?" Taranee replied cautiously. "I mean, Meridian poses no threat, and you must want a day off."

"It is not my place to decide such matters." Laris replied, turning away from Taranee. "I simply follow orders."

Taranee opened her mouth once more, but thought better of it, thinking it was better to not push her luck, and quit while still alive.

* * *

Across the table from Taranee and Irma, Will and Matt sat together, eating in silence.

"Well, enjoying your night out?" Will asked Matt.

"I guess…" Matt said, lazily poking at his food.

"Oh, come on! You want to be a part of my Guardian life, well, here we are! How can you be complaining?" Will replied angrily.

"I'm not complaining." Matt replied calmly. "It's a nice dinner and the food is… interesting, but…"

"Yes?"

"It's not really what I was expecting." Matt finished. "It's too boring. I can do so much more then this, Will. I want adventure, and excitement, and…"

It was at that moment when the first explosion turned the sky red.


	4. Scorched Earth

Chapter 3

Scorched Earth

Balsilide

The world around Caleb exploded in fire and chaos. Tables flew through the air, as well as many of the people sitting at them. Caleb didn't care. Picking himself up of the ground, his muscles ached, and his jacket was on fire, beginning to burn his hair and skin. Caleb didn't care. Discarding the burning cloth quickly, Caleb surveyed the area around himself. His team, as well as everyone else at the table, were scattered on the ground. The lucky ones were lying on the ground, coughing. The unlucky ones weren't coughing. Caleb didn't care.

The only thing that mattered to Caleb at this moment was the young girl before him, struggling to get up. The rest of his friends were trained warriors, and could handle themselves. The light of Meridian, Queen Elyon, could not. Soot covered Elyon, and she coughed even more of the black powder out of her lungs. Bending down, Caleb helped Elyon to her feet.

"Caleb!" came a voice from behind.

The boy turned at the sound of his name to find Will, coughing, but on her feet.

"Caleb, I need you to…"

"No, Will." Caleb replied. "The only thing I need to do is get Elyon to safety."

Caleb used the Tonga tooth to quickly fold himself and Elyon back to Meridian.

"I need you to get Elyon to safety." Will trailed off as she watched Caleb disappear.

Will sighed and looked around her. She had transformed the girls into Guardians the second she heard the explosion. With relief she also noticed that Matt had transformed, and appeared to be unharmed. With that knowledge safety in her mind, she tried to remember what happened. It had been an ordinary dinner, until a large explosion had sent everyone flying. And the explosions didn't appear to be stopping, Will noted as another ball of fire went up in the distance.

"Head count!" Will yelled. "Girls, you all here?"

"Yeah, we're here." Irma replied. "Although I wish I wasn't."

"We're all fine, Will. Just a little sore." Taranee answered. "What happened?"

"No idea." Will replied. "How's everybody else? The Honor Guard?"

"Battered, but not broken." Came a voice from beside Will.

Vathek pulled himself from under the flipped table and dusted himself off.

"I'm all right, but I can't say the same about the others. Julian's in bad shape."

"Will! I don't see Caleb or Elyon!" Cornelia shouted searching franticly.

"We're fine, Cornelia." Caleb said, emerging from a fold. "Elyon's back on Meridian, safe."

Just as he spoke, another, smaller explosion shook the ground once more.

"Vathek, get everyone to safety on Meridian. Starting with the Balsilidian president." Caleb said, handing his old friend the Tonga Tooth. "Girls, let's figure out what's causing these explosions."

"Sounds good to me." Will replied. "But first, Matt! I want you to…"

"No Will." Matt said, approaching Will. "These are my friends too. I won't run from this fight. I can help."

"I don't want you to run," Will said calmly, "I want you to get in the air and see if you can get a good view of the area. Why does no one let me finish orders anymore?"

"Sorry." Matt said weakly as he took to the skies.

"Taranee, Irma, see what you can do about these fires." Will said loudly. "Cornelia, Hay Lin, try to find out what started this. Do a city wide search…"

Suddenly, Will was interrupted by the sound of laughter. The girls turned to find a dark figure, standing on the roof of a burning building. At first, Will thought it was just a silhouette of a man, but she quickly realized that it was just the stranger's appearance. Black and featureless, the person was like a shadow, drifting back and forth along the rooftop. Only the creatures' bright red eyes allowed Will to follow its movements. Although the roof he was standing on was burning, the creature did not seem to be bothered by the flames.

"People of Balsilide!" the figure shouted, it's voice echoing through the fires. "You took something from me, and now your day of reckoning has arrived. You live in sin, and unjust wealth. You live, eat and drink on the bones of the innocent, and for that, I, the Shadow Walker, have decided to put an end to your atrocities! Watch now, as your world burns around you."

"Cancel the city wide search." Will said through gritted teeth.

"So can we just go up and hit him, or what?" Cornelia asked with clenched fists.

"It's not that simple." Taranee replied. "There are still people who need our help. Besides, I don't think our new friend is going anywhere."

"Irma, Taranee, help with the clean-up," Will said, taking charge. "Try to control these fires, and help Vathek get people to Meridian. Start with the injured members of the R.E.G and the Honor Guard, and go from there."

"Got it Will." Irma replied, starting to lift Grimm, the R.E.G's magician who had been knocked unconscious by the explosion.

"Wait!"

Will spun to find Balken, the leader of the R.E.G, heading towards her.

"These men fell on Balsilide, and it is there they shall remain." Balken said. "They will not go to Meridian."

"What?" Will shouted. "And what happens if they die here on Balsilide?"

"Then such is their duty and their honor." Balken replied.

Suddenly, Wilder, the military commander of Balsilide, pushed Balken aside, striding up to Will.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, shut up Balken!" Wilder said, as Balken's eyes went wide.

Wilder was not a young woman by any means. But although she was covered in soot and clearly limping, she still held herself with dignity and grace.

"Ma'am, they wish to take our wounded off-world, to Meridian!" Balken explained. Despite being a foot smaller then the R.E.G leader, Wilder stared the Balken down with an icy gaze.

"The sky burns above us, yet you would squabble over territory like a child? I am the military commander of Balsilide, which means I give the orders, not you. Understand?"

Though he didn't respond, Balken made it clear that he understood fine, and wasn't happy about it. Seemingly satisfied by this non-response, Wilder strode passed Balken and headed for Will.

"Guardian. Any assistance you could provide in assuring the safety of the men and women of Balsilide would be appreciated. In addition, I would like to request the aid of the Guardians and their allies in handling the current catastrophe."

"Um, if that means you want us to help, then yeah, sure!" Will said, taken aback by the older woman's presence. "And, no offence to your troops, but they should probably stay back until we know what we're dealing with."

"A wise decision, and one I will abide by." Wilder replied. "We will attempt to reduce the chaos."

Will breathed a sigh of relief as Wilder left. Will smiled as she realized she was much more comfortable around monsters then around high-ranking officials like Wilder. Still, Wilder seemed much more understanding then her R.E.G counterparts. She turned to her friends, waiting on her instructions.

"Irma, Taranee, keep working on the fires. Hay Lin, go high. Make sure this guy doesn't escape, and see if he has any other tricks up his sleeve. Matt, Cornelia, you're with me. Let's go meet our mystery man."

The Shadow Walker had been watching the chaos below him with curiosity from atop his roof. He continued to watch as Matt, Cornelia and Will took off and headed towards him. Together, the three of them had the power to shake worlds. Any other beings would tremble at the sight of their combined might, but the Shadow Walker stood his ground.

"You call yourself the Shadow Walker?" Will asked, hovering in front of the shadowy figure.

"Yes, and who might you be?" replied the Shadow Walker.

"We're the people who are going to bring you down." Will replied firmly.

To the surprise of the three people in front of him, the Shadow Walker laughed. Will could not recall hearing such an unnerving laugh in her life, like broken glass scraping ice, and it sent a chill down her spine. The Shadow Walker's featureless face remained motionless, but the laugh seemed to echo darkly inside Will's head.

"Oh, child, do you even know why you fight?" The Shadow Walker said once he was done.

"We fight to protect the innocent." Will replied.

"Then you are five hundred years too late."

With those cryptic words, the Shadow Walker took Will off-balance with a sudden attack. With lightning speed, the Shadow Walker extended his arms to three times their original length, hitting both Matt and Cornelia in the chest with surprising force while never leaving the roof. His two victims were sent flying backwards, gasping for air. Will, now alone, began her attack with fury.

With a brief glance over her shoulder to make sure Matt was alright, Will unleashed her full power, launching a massive bolt of energy at the Shadow Walker. Will watched in horror as the well-aimed blast went straight through the Shadow Walker, leaving him unaffected. The Shadow Walker countered the attack by stretching his arms at high speed towards Will. Quick to react, Will dodged the attack by mere inches.

Cornelia and Matt had recovered by this time, and were moving in on the Shadow Walker. Quickly, Matt fired a volley of energy at the Shadow Walker, but once more the energy passed through him, shattering the roof below. The Shadow Walker made an impressive leap to a nearby building, where Cornelia waited for him, flanked by boulders. The Shadow Walker stood his ground as the boulders crashed around and through him, leaving him unscathed.

"Anyone want to explain why this isn't working?" Cornelia said angrily.

"He's intangible," Will said. "He's not even solid. Things just pass right through him, like a shadow."

"Not all the time. I can still feel the hit he gave me." Matt said.

"We need to come up with a new game plan," Will said. "Something to…"

Will was interrupted by a blow to her chest. The Shadow Walker was no longer interested in watching his opponents, and now was now fully dedicated to destroying them. With great speed and strength, he attacked Matt and the girls, working his way through their defenses with ease. Any counterattack mounted against the Shadow Walker was foiled, as his body went intangible. Eventually, Cornelia managed to destroy the building the Shadow Walker was standing on, as well as any buildings nearby, leaving her foe shaken, but unharmed.

"This is ridiculous." Will said, out of breath. "He can hit us all night, but we can't lay a finger on him."

"Well we better think of something, and quick." Matt replied, watching the Shadow Walker approach them once more. "There must be something you can do with the Heart."

Suddenly, the Shadow Walker stopped in his tracks.

"What did you say?" the Shadow Walker said softly.

For the first time, the Shadow Walker noticed the glowing jewel hanging around Will's neck and upon seeing it, he charged at the trio. Matt and Cornelia did their best to stop him but the Shadow Walker swatted them away like flies. He then focused his attention on Will, grabbing her by the neck and forcing her against a nearby wall.

"I've waited centuries for this moment. Now, the power of Balsilide will be in the hands of its true owner!"

As he said this, the Shadow Walker carefully reached for the Heart with his free hand. As he touched it, a pink spark shot from the Heart, causing the Shadow Walker to recoil, although never losing his grip on Will.

"But… this is not the one." The Shadow Walker stuttered, confused. "I don't understand. How can this be?"

Taking advantage of her foes' confusion, Will focus her powers in her neck, instead of her hands. Sending the energy rushing forward, the silver sparks rushed into the hand of the Shadow Walker. Since the Shadow Walker was grabbing her, she knew this part of his body to be solid. The Shadow Walker screamed in pain, and dropped Will quickly. Now recovered, Cornelia and Matt landed beside Will, ready for battle. Confused and angry, the Shadow Walker did not give them one, but instead disappeared into the night like his namesake.

"So, I'm kind of new at this. Did we win?" Matt asked.

"Well, we're still alive, and everyone's safe for now, so yeah. Let's go with win." Will replied.

"Sure wasn't our best performance." Cornelia muttered.

"Are we even sure he's really gone?" Matt asked.

"Yep. He's gone." came a voice from above.

Hay Lin dropped beside them, a tired look on her face.

"I saw him slink off into the distance, so I think that's the last we'll see of him for tonight," she said. "Sorry I couldn't help. I found three more bombs in the city, and getting rid of them was not fun."

"It's okay." Will said with a smile. "Let's get this cleanup done and let's get home. I have a feeling we going to have some busy days ahead of us."

With reluctance and exhaustion, the four headed back to the scene of the feast. Will had a lot of questions going through her head as she walked. She only hoped the answers would soon become clear.


	5. Domestic Disturbance

Chapter 4

Domestic Disturbance

Balsilide

As night fell on Balsilide, the Guardians found themselves doing an all too familiar task. The city square of Balsilide had been destroyed by the Shadow Walkers' attack, and the unique powers of the girls were required to assist with initial cleanup. Normally they would be happy to help, but the night had been long, and with all of the questions in their head, the girls were in no mood to waste time clearing away rubble. When it was mercifully done, the Guardians, followed by the Honor Guard and the R.E.G, trudged back to Meridian. Both Queen Elyon of Meridian and President Rikar of Balsilide were waiting for them.

"Relief efforts are preceding smoothly, sir." Balken said, saluting his president.

"Excellent, thank you Balken." President Rikar said, approaching the R.E.G. "If things are as you say, then let us be off. I sorely wish to return home."

"With all due respect, Mr. President, I think it would be safer if you didn't return to Balsilide until the morning." Will said diplomatically, causing Rikar to stop.

"Nonsense. I see no reason not to return home immediately," the President said.

"Uh, remember the whole bomb thing? With the explosions? Yeah, that's a pretty good reason." Irma said, slightly less diplomatically then Will.

"We're happy to provide you with anything you need here at the castle." Elyon offered.

"No thank you." Rikar said, turning up his nose. "Don't you think Meridian has already provided us with enough for one day?"

"Sir, I think it's best if we…" Wilder, the military commander for Balsilide, began desperately, but it was too late.

"What do you mean by that?" Elyon said, fixing Rikar with a glare.

"Balsilide has known nothing but peace for decades, but as soon as we start trading with Meridian, we're surrounded by murders and attacks." Rikar replied.

"And you blame us for that?" Elyon said icily.

"I don't believe in coincidences, do you?"

Elyon and Rikar stared at each other, neither daring to blink. The Guardians wanted desperately to help their friend, but also didn't want to make things worse. Most of them knew that it wasn't their place to intercede in a political issue. Most of them. Irma was tired, and refused to put up with anything from the man she had helped save.

"If you really think any of the stuff going on has to do with Elyon, then you Balsilide people are crazier then I thought!"

Irma knew she had made a mistake as soon as she stopped talking. President Rikar turned his attention away from Elyon, and turned his glare to Irma.

"Little girl, you are no longer simply having adventures with your friends on the playground. You are not here on behalf of Meridian. You have no allegiance to Elyon. You are here to do a job, tor protect those that need it. This is a world of adults, and for whatever reason, you find yourself a part of that world now. Which is something you should remember next time you decide to open that mouth of yours."

Irma retreated silently, and an uncomfortable silence hung in the air. By this time, Elyon had composed herself, and once more approached Rikar.

"Mr. President, as I have said before, Meridian is happy to offer our services during this time of crisis."

"I understand that, and…" Rikar began, but Elyon cut him off.

"That being said, I think it would be best for you to return home before it gets too… dark."

Rikar eyed the young girl suspiciously, and then turned away. Will opened a fold to Balsilide, and the President quickly stepped through, followed by the R.E.G. Wilder was last to leave, turning just before she stepped through the portal.

"Queen Elyon, Guardians, on behalf of, well, myself, I'd like to personally thank you for your assistance."

Elyon gave a nod and a smile, and Wilder disappeared through the fold.

"I'm really sorry everybody." Irma said once the fold had closed. "I shouldn't have said what I said."

"Don't worry about it too much." Will said, putting her hand on Irma's shoulder. "We all wanted to say it."

"Yeah, but I think I really messed up this time." Irma replied. "Once again I opened my big fat mouth and made the wrong choice."

"If I may, you stood up for your friend, Irma." Walli replied. "In my experience, that's never the wrong choice."

Irma gave Walli a small, but genuine smile.

"Unfortunately, Rikar was right." Elyon said. "You did make a mistake Irma."

"Elyon?"

"Although I would have worded it much differently!" Elyon said, giving Irma a smile and a hug. "It's just that… you girls can't take sides anymore. I know you want too, but there are a lot more worlds outside of Meridian. You can't appear to be our personal bodyguards anymore. It's… bad for business, so to speak."

Will opened her mouth to dispute Elyon's words, but closed it just as quickly. Elyon was right, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Their world was changing around them. The universe was bigger and more dangerous then any of them had imagined, and Will could do nothing but wonder if they were ready for it.

Heatherfield

The following afternoon, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin met outside the school. The final bell had rung, and the weekend had officially begun. While they were all grateful for the weekend, there were obviously more important things on their minds.

"It's evil I tell you! Pure, absolute, unforgivable evil!" Irma said loudly, attracting some odd stares from those passing by.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little?" Taranee said, trying to calm her friend down.

"I'm sorry Taranee, but I stand by my beliefs. No one should be aloud to make people suffer the way he did without serious consequences!"

"Are you still talking about the Shadow Walker?" Will said, joining the group.

"No, someone much worse." Hay Lin said with a smile. "Mr. Faulkner."

"He gave a surprise math test. On a Friday!" Irma said, waving her arms to emphasize what an atrocity this was.

"I keep telling you Irma, it wasn't a surprise test. Everyone knew about it!"

"As horrifying as that sounds," Will interrupted, "we have bigger fish to fry. Namely, the fact that some guy just bombed Balsilide and we couldn't touch him. I, for one, have a lot of questions about that."

"Well the only place with answers is going to be Kandrakar." Taranee said. "Guess that's our next stop."

"Weren't we going there anyways?" Cornelia said. "To find out about the Heart of Balsilide? In case you guys forgot, there's that slight matter of us killing everyone in the universe."

"It's only a prophecy." Will replied. "And we'll make sure we ask Yan Lin about that when we go to Kandrakar tonight."

"Tonight?" Irma said. "Sorry, no can do. I've got work tonight."

"Aw, can't you take the day off?" Will asked.

"No, Will, I'm not taking my second day of work off." Irma said, crossing her arms. "Besides, if I took off everyday we went on some adventure, I might as well be unemployed."

"Alright, we'll go tomorrow then." Will said.

"Great!" Hay Lin shouted, perking up.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry Irma, but if you're working, and we're not going to Kandrakar, that means I can go on a date with Eric. Hey! There he is now! Hey Eric! Eric!"

"And… she's gone!" Cornelia said, watching Hay Lin speed into the distance.

"I'm off too." Irma said. "Gonna try and catch some shut eye before work. See ya."

"Well, looks like it's just the three of us." Taranee said as Irma left.

"Two." Cornelia corrected. "My dad's has a friend from work coming over, and that usually means our chef makes something special. Bye."

Taranee and Will watched Cornelia go, leaving them alone.

"Well, I'm sure the two of us can figure something out." Taranee said.

"Sorry Taranee, I'm calling it a day as well." Will replied, getting to her feet.

"What? Will? Don't you want to figure out who this Shadow Walker guy is? Or where the Heart of Balsilide is?"

"Sure, but I can't." Will replied. "Sorry Tara, but I've got nothing. The only place we can get answers is Kandrakar, and we're going there tomorrow, so for now, I'm going to do what I feel is most productive."

"Which is?"

"Convincing my mom to order a pizza, then watching a Chick-flick marathon. Wish me luck."

Taranee watched as Will left her alone outside the school. At first, she frowned at her deserting friends, then sighed and smiled. She didn't like it, but they were right. She was so used to being pressed for time, that she had forgotten what it was like to just relax. And pizza didn't sound too bad right now.

* * *

Cornelia cautiously pushed open the door to her apartment and peered inside. Trying to be both silent and casual, she moved into the living room like a ghost. It was not a rare occurrence for her father to bring home colleagues from work. In order to be one of the city's top investment bankers, Harold Hale had to have friends in all sorts of different places. When she was younger, Cornelia had been paraded out to these guests as daddy's special little girl, but as she grew older she learned that by keeping to her room, she could avoid the situation entirely.

As she passed through the living room, she glanced over at the couch to get a better view of the guests. The man on the left looked like many had before him. Thin, middle-aged, bald and with coke-bottle glasses, he was the very model of a modern banker. The person beside him, however, was much more unique. He was a boy, no older the Cornelia, with short blonde hair and an expensive suit. Two years ago, this was the type of boy that Cornelia would dream about, but she had matured, and more importantly, found Caleb.

"Cornelia!" her father said, causing the girl to freeze. "I'd like you to meet George Derringer, and his son, Timothy."

Cornelia gave a polite wave, and a casual hello, and then quickly headed for the kitchen.

"I do wish you had have gotten home from school more quickly, I'm afraid the Derringer's are on their way out." Harold said, getting to his feet along with his guests.

"Oh, that's a shame." Cornelia said, head buried in the fridge. Internally she celebrated her good luck.

"Yes, business before pleasure I'm afraid Harold." George said, shaking Mr. Hale's hand. "Still, we'll become more acquainted with your daughter on Monday, won't we?"

If Cornelia had been listening, she might have been concerned by this sentence. As it was, she was too involved with the makings of her sandwich to pay any attention as the Derringers left.

"Such delightful people." Mr. Hale said, shutting the door. "You'll be thrilled to know that they've invited both of us to dinner on Monday."

"Uh-huh." Cornelia said absentmindedly before snapping to attention. "Wait, I'm sorry, what? 'Both of us'? What do you mean 'both of us'?"

"Why, you and I of course." Harold responded. "Father and daughter, dinning with father and son. It will be a delightful evening."

"But why me?" Cornelia asked, beginning to panic. "Why do I have to go?"

"We thought it might be a good idea for you to get to know George's son, Timothy." Harold replied. "He's your age, he goes to the finest private schools in Heatherfield, and his family is very well respected. He's quite handsome, and…"

"Handsome?" Cornelia said, finally clueing in. "Wait a second, are you setting me up with this guy?"

"No, of course not." Harold said reassuringly. "But, he is a very nice boy, so if something were to start between the two of you, you would have my full blessing. And it's not as if you're seeing anyone, right?"

Cornelia opened her mouth but stopped herself. What was she going to say? 'Actually dad, I do have a boyfriend, and the reason you've never seen him is because he's from another planet'? That was not a conversation she was willing to have.

"Right." She said quietly, heading for her room.

She quickly closed the door and began to calm herself. After all, it wasn't so bad. She'd meet this guy once, say it didn't work out, and that would be that. Besides, she thought with a smile, Caleb should get a laugh out of this.

* * *

Night had fallen over Heatherfield when Irma finally got home from work. Although the hour was approaching midnight, she found her parents waited up for her. The look on their faces made Irma think that this wasn't exactly something she wanted.

"Hi guys, everything okay?" she asked cautiously.

"No, Irma, everything is not okay," her father said, crossing his arms.

"Mr. Faulkner called. You failed your math test today." Anna Lair added.

Irma's heart sank.

"We didn't even know you had a test today, so I don't like the surprise of hearing you failed it." Tom said, getting to his feet.

"I'm sorry." Irma said weakly, simply because she could think of nothing else to say.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Irma!" Tom said, raising his voice. "School is the most important thing in your life, but you don't even seem to care."

"I do care."

"Then why are you failing all these tests? I asked, and your other marks aren't much better. Irma, university is only a couple years away. You won't be accepted with marks like these."

"I understand."

"So why are you failing? Why are your marks so low?" Tom yelled.

Irma could feel the anger swelling up inside of her. All the stress of a long day, and the knowledge that her parents were exactly right was too much for her. She stared at the ground, trying to keep calm.

"Is it your job? Is it too much for you?" Tom asked, now inches from his daughter.

"No, it's not…"

"Is it your friends? Are they distracting you?"

"No, they're…"

"Then what, Irma? Your teachers? Us? What? Why are you failing?" Tom yelled.

Irma looked up with both tears and fire in her eyes.

"You ever stop to think, dad, that it's nobody's fault? That maybe, I'm just too stupid to pass? Did you ever think that's why I'm always failing?"

As her parents watched in stun silence, Irma climbed the stairs, threw herself on her bed, and silently cried herself to sleep.


	6. Grave Tidings

Chapter 5

Grave Tidings

Kandrakar

For as long as they had been Guardians, the girls had looked to the Fortress of Kandrakar as one of the sole constants in their lives. The fortress was always there, no matter what. Which is why it was with great sadness that they now entered Kandrakar and gazed upon the shattered walls and broken columns, lying in rubble.

They remembered each broken brick since, after all, they had broken them, fighting against Endarno and his pseudo-Guardians. It was not the first time Kandrakar had been damaged. Nerissa, and later Phobos and Cedric had all tested the Fortress's strength, but the damage then had been superficial, and almost all to the outer walls. Now it was the Inner Sanctum and the Council room that laid in ruin, places even Phobos had never ventured. While some of the structures of Kandrakar had fallen, its people had most certainly not.

"Grandma!"

Hay Lin ran to her grandmother and wrapped her arms around Yan Lin. Although the ex-Guardian was getting on in years, the spark of life could still be seen in Yan Lin's eyes whenever her granddaughter was present.

"Hello, little one! It's good to see you well!" Yan Lin exclaimed, returning the hug warmly. "It's good to see all of you again."

"You too Yan Lin." Irma said, looking around. "I uh, love what you've done to the place."

"Substance over style." Yan Lin replied, kicking away some rubble. "The fortress might not look as nice as it used too, but it still does the job. Something I wish I could say off you five. Why has it been a week since you last came to Kandrakar?"

"We've been busy." Will said, taken aback by Yan Lin's strong words. "We had to unwind after Endarno, and there was this thing on Balsilide…"

"In other words, you have done nothing to track down the Heart of Balsilide." Yan Lin replied sternly.

"Um, I guess not." Will said, averting her gaze from Yan Lin's judging eyes.

"Girls, this is not a trivial matter. It's something that must be dealt with right away." Yan Lin replied.

"With all due respect Yan Lin, its just some dumb prophecy, right?" Cornelia said.

As she saw the expression change on Yan Lin's face, she suddenly regretted her words. For as long as they had known Yan Lin, she had been nothing but a calm, collected woman, capable of great wisdom in dark times. To see stress and anger etched across her face was unnerving for the Guardians.

"No, Cornelia, it is much more then that." Yan Lin said, raising her voice. "It is quite possibly the most important event of your life, and you need to give it the attention it deserves! Do not forget that you are perhaps going to be responsible for the death of every living thing in the universe!"

Yan Lin said this last line with such force as to cause several of the nearby elders to stop and stare. The Guardians, however, merely studied the floor in silence. They had seen the note Endarno had left for them, and knew what the futures supposedly stored, but hearing the words out loud made their fate seem that much more real. The fact that the words came from Yan Lin, and with such force, stunned them even more.

Yan Lin saw the row of faces before her and sighed. Her brow relaxed and she once more looked like the calm Yan Lin the girls had grown to love.

"I'm sorry girls, that is how Kandrakar feels, not I. The elders are scared, mostly of you. They have spent much of the past week determining if we should lock you in the Tower of Mists, just to be safe. Many of them are in favor of it."

"But not you Grandma?" Hay Lin replied.

"I trust you girls." Yan Lin said after a brief pause. "I trust you with my life. But…"

"But you're not sure if you trust us with the universe." Taranee finished.

"Hey, it's okay!" Irma added. "I wouldn't trust us with it either. My parents don't even trust me with my homework."

"Thank you for understanding." Yan Lin said with a smile. "It is not that I'm scared, I am just concerned with… well, everything that has happened recently."

"I hate to bring this up again," Cornelia said. "But why is this such a big deal? Even if Endarno is on the level with this, the so-called 'prophecy' is insane! We couldn't kill the universe if we wanted to."

"Hate to say it, but I agree with Corny." Irma added.

"Unfortunately, it is not about desire, or even how capable you are." Yan Lin said. "Hearts have many powers, but clairvoyance is not usually one of them. It is very rare for Hearts to have visions of the future, and when they do, it is only about events of universal consequence."

"The death of the universe being just such an event." Taranee said.

"None more so," Yan Lin continued. "But when these visions do occur, they are always accurate. Which means if a Heart says you're going to kill the universe…"

"We're going to kill the universe." Will supplied.

"Exactly."

"But Endarno was up the wall crazy, we all know that." Irma said. "The guy probably saw lots of visions."

"I'm not so sure." Will replied. "Endarno struck me as a lot of things, but crazy was never one of them."

"This is why we must find the Heart of Balsilide. Only by finding the Heart can we know for sure whether Endarno was telling the truth."

"So all we have to do is find the Heart, bring it back here and we'll have our answers?" Will said.

"Yeah, that's all." Irma said. "Find a small jewel in a city full of uncooperative Balsilidians, with no place to start. What could be easier?"

"I believe I can help you on this front." Yan Lin said. "While we have no control over where a Heart goes, we can find where it intends to go. I have taken the liberty of finding out the Heart of Balsilide was planning to go to a man called Kiev Irvig. Find him, and you will find the Heart."

"Got it." Will said, memorizing the name. "We can take it from here."

"Piece of cake." Irma said. "Anything else you want us to get you while we're gone? A magazine, some groceries?"

"Actually, there is two more request I must make of you." Yan Lin said.

"I had to ask."

"First of all, as you can see, Kandrakar still quite a bit of damage." Yan Lin said.

"I thought that was because you guys are all busy?" Hay Lin interrupted.

"Correct. But the reason we are so busy, is because we are trying to find a leader." Yan Lin said. "Right now, we are directionless, running around like Hoogongs with our heads cut off. We need a leader."

"And you expect us to find a new one on Balsilide?" Will asked. "Based on my experience with their leaders, that's not a great idea."

"We do not want a new one, we want our old one." Yan Lin said. "Our decision to remove Himerish from his position as Oracle was a wrong one. After he was removed, he retired to his home world of Balsilide. We want you to find him, and get him to return to Kandrakar. If you do, it will improve your reputation with the Kandrakar council."

"Fine." Will said. "And the second favor?"

"If you could please give me your cell phones…" Yan Lin began.

"What?" Cornelia blurted. "Why would you want those?"

"Calm down Cornelia." Yan Lin said with a smile. "They will be returned to you unharmed when you get back from your missions. I would just like to… upgrade them."

The girls weren't sure what that meant, but they had learned not to ask questions of Kandrakar's elders. Grudgingly, they handed over their phones to Yan Lin who took them with a smile.

"Now unless Irma wants to ask any more questions…" Will said with a smile.

"Nope. I've learned my lesson."

"Then let's go to Balsilide."

Balsilide

After a quick stop home, the girls began strolling through the streets of Balsilide. Since they didn't anticipate needing their powers, and because they weren't looking to attract attention, they were not in Guardian form. Instead, the five human girls wore whatever they thought would hide them from the rest of the world. Their faces were not as well known here as on Meridian, so a simple plain t-shirt sufficed.

"So, Heart or Himerish first?" Cornelia asked.

"Heart." Will replied curtly. "As Yan Lin so kindly reminded us, 'it's the most important event of our lives'."

"It's not her fault." Hay Lin said defensively. "She's just stressed."

"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten all Yan Lin's done for us." Irma said reassuringly. "We just don't like being treated like Kandrakar's lackeys."

The girls spent the next hour searching for Kiev Irvig unsuccessfully. Few people they talked to had heard of him, and even less knew where to find him. Even the Heart of Balsilide was a foreign term to everyone the girls approached.

"Why don't we just ask the R.E.G, or President Rikar? They're bound to know where this guy is." Cornelia said, sitting down to rub her sore feet.

"Call me paranoid, but I'm not sure I really want to talk to the Balsilidian government unless we have too," Taranee said. "Might not be a good idea to let them know we're sneaking around their world looking for an object of almost unlimited power."

"We're not sneaking," Irma said. "We're just moving with out being noticed."

Irma thought about this for a moment.

"Okay, so we're sneaking. You may be on to something here Taranee."

"I agree." Will said. "The less attention we attract the better, at least until we know we can trust Rikar."

It took another twenty minutes before their luck finally turned. They met a small, portly man, running a small shop and mentioned Kiev's name.

"Kiev Irvig? Yes, I knew him. Why do you ask?" The man said.

"We're trying to find him." Will said. "Do you know where he might be?"

"I know exactly where he is," the man said. "St. Visage."

The man pointed a fat finger up a nearby hill where a large, dark house stood.

"Great, thanks!" Will said, starting up the hill. "Since we've never met him, can you tell us what he looks like?"

"Trust me, it doesn't matter." The man said with a laugh.

The girls left the shop, looking back wit suspicion.

"'It doesn't matter?' What does that mean?" Cornelia asked.

"Eh, it's Balsilide. Everyone's weird." Irma said, starting up the hill. "The guy's probably got two heads or something. Come on."

The girls raced up the hill in excitement. They were about to complete a mission, and be home by dinner. They all felt it was time they caught a break, and it looked like today would be the day. In their excitement, they forgot to take a good look at the small sign on the front of the building. If they had, they might not have been so excited.

Will pushed open the tall wooden door to reveal a large, ornate room. A hanging, brass chandelier lit the room warmly, while a large marble statue of an angel-like creature stood in the corner. The whole building felt more prestigious then any they had ever been in, and it made them all feel out of place. The only person in the room other then the girls was an older lady, standing behind a long wooden desk. She looked up from her papers when the girls entered, and smiled warmly. The girls returned the smile as they approached the desk.

"Woah, I am way underdressed." Irma said looking around.

"Hello, how can I help you today?" the woman said in a sweet voice.

"Hi, we're looking for a Mr. Kiev Irvig. We we're told he was here." Will said.

"Oh, yes, he is. He'll be in the ninth plot on your left. 3rd row, 2nd from the end." The woman said, pulling out a piece of paper.

The girls frowned as the woman wrote the directions down, and handed the piece of paper to Will.

"Thank you." Will said, taking the paper.

"You're very welcome. Have a nice day." The woman said as the girls left through a side door. "Oh, and I'm sorry for your loss."

"'Sorry for your loss'?" Hay Lin said once they were outside again. "What did she mean by that?"

Will looked up from the paper and frowned. In front of her were rows upon rows of short, black pillars, with a narrow path in-between. For as far as Will could see, the pillars continued, divided into several different plots. As Will read the instructions she had been given once more, she finally realized where she was.

"Oh no."

Without warning, Will broke into a run, counting the different plots as she passed them.

"Will! Where are you going?" Cornelia said as the girls ran after Will.

"No! This was supposed to be simple!" Will said as she ran. "This was supposed to be easy!"

At the ninth field, Will turned sharply down the third row on her left, all the way down to the second last pillar. A quick look at the top of the dark pillar confirmed her fears.

"Kiev Irvig?" Irma said, coming to a halt next to her friend. "Why does this pillar say Kiev Irvig? He's not a pillar, is he?"

"No Irma, he's not." Will said. "He's under it. This is a cemetery. Keiv Irvig is dead, and so are our chances of finding the Heart of Balsilide."


	7. Bedside Manner

Chapter 6

Bedside Manner

Balsilide

Kiev Irvig was supposed to be many things. He was supposed to be the next bearer of the Heart of Balsilide. He was supposed to help maintain peace in order on Balsilide. He was supposed to help the Guardians figure out whether or not a prophecy involving them destroying all live in the universe was true or not. He was supposed to be all these things, but he ended up being none of them, because Kiev Irvig was dead.

Will stared at the pillar marking Kiev's gravesite with raw hatred. It was taking all of her will power to resist smashing the stone and the site into oblivion, something she didn't imagine the people of Balsilide would take kindly to.

"One simple mission. Just one simple mission, that's all I ask." Will said, continuing her glare.

"Welcome to life as a Guardian." Hay Lin said sympathetically.

"I know, I know, but really? One simple mission and this stupid Kiev guy goes and dies on us! Oh, I could just kill him for dying!"

"Yes, how dare he." Taranee said, rolling her eyes. "Now, if you're through with the temper-tantrum, let's focus on what we can do."

Balsilidian gravestones were not like those on Earth, where only name was often recorded. Each marker in Balsilide was inscribed with a eulogy, giving information on the person's life, and eventual death. Taranee had noticed this and was now beginning to read.

"Say's here that Kiev was born with a rare heart disorder, and that he died of a heart attack at the age of 24." Taranee said, the irony not escaping her.

"Does it say when he died?" Cornelia asked.

"Yeah, and if I know my Balsilidian calendar, it was about 4 years ago by our reckoning." Taranee said, doing a quick mental calculation.

"And based on what Yan Lin said, Endarno had his vision about 8 years ago." Will said.

"Which means that he died after the Heart found him." Irma finished.

"Which means he still has it somewhere!" Hay Lin added excitedly.

"Sorry Hay Lin, but I don't think so," Taranee replied.

"Why not?"

"Well, think about it." Taranee said. "If, let's say, Will, you were to die…"

"Hey!"

"Sorry Will, just using you as an example. If you were to die, Will, the Heart wouldn't just sit on your desk, it would find a replacement. They way it disappeared after Ezerial died in Endarno's house. After Kiev died, it would have moved on."

"But, Yan Lin said that it was headed towards Kiev." Irma said. "If it had moved on, wouldn't she have known? Wouldn't we be looking for that guy instead?"

"Yes." Taranee replied. "Which means that odds are, the Heart never got to Kiev. Something must have stopped it."

"Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that much, much, much worse?" Cornelia asked.

"Yep." Will replied. "But there's nothing we can do about it here. Come on, let's get out of here."

As the girls left, focused on what they had to do, they did not notice that one of the nearby trees was casting two shadows. As the girls left, the shadow began to move with them, watching the girls with growing interest.

* * *

It was with much less enthusiasm that the girls walked through the streets of Balsilide for the second time that afternoon. They had truly thought that finding the Heart of Balsilide would give them many of the answers they wanted. But now, with even more questions burning in their brains, they wanted nothing to do with Balsilide, especially when the man they were going to see was traditionally the cause of all their questions.

Himerish had been Oracle when the girls first became Guardians, and they had accidentally been responsible for his removal from power. Now, with Endarno gone, Kandrakar wanted Himerish back, and it was up to the Guardians to go get him. None of them were too eager to do this, and all the girls walked slowly, but Will noticed it was affecting one girl more then the others.

"Are you all right Hay Lin? You seem out of it." Will asked her friend.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry Will. Guess my head's just somewhere else today." Hay Lin replied, studying her feet as she walked.

"Something wrong? Anything we can help with?" Taranee asked.

"No, it's just… Eric." Hay Lin replied.

"Pffft! Boys! Who needs 'em? I'm the only one who's never had one and look! Happy as can be!" Irma said.

"Irma, be quiet!" Will said. "Are you two having problems Hay Lin?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Hay Lin replied quickly. "In fact, things are great. But I just… I'm thinking him about telling him."

"About what?"

"About the Guardians."

This made everyone stop and turn. Worried glances were exchanged between the girls, not making Hay Lin feel all that more confident.

"Hay Lin, take it from me, that's a big step." Taranee said, speaking from experience. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." Hay Lin replied. "I mean, we're doing great but, this? I mean, who knows?"

"Trust me, I know how you feel." Taranee said.

Only months earlier, Taranee had told her then boyfriend Nigel about the Guardians, only for him to break-up with her because of it. This fact had not escaped Hay Lin.

"Why do you want to tell him?" Will asked.

"I'm gonna have to sometime, right? I can't wait too long. Besides, things would be way easier if he knew about us, right?"

"Not always." Will muttered under her breath, so no one could hear.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Hay Lin." Irma said, putting her arm around her friend.

"Hate to rain on the parade, but it's not necessarily going to be fine." Cornelia said. "Besides Irma, do you think you're really the one to be giving advice on boys?"

Hay Lin felt Irma's arm wither away after Cornelia's comment. She turned to see Irma's expression, expecting anger, but found only sadness.

"Cornelia!" Will hissed, glaring at her friend.

Even Cornelia knew she had crossed a line, and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry Irma, I didn't mean…"

Irma's face quickly perked back up and a smile returned to its usual position.

"Oh, you're going to have to say more then that to keep my spirits down, Corny." Irma said.

"Anyways, I haven't decided anything yet." Hay Lin said, quickly focusing the conversation back on her. "But if I do…"

"We'll support you all the way." Will finished as the girls nodded behind her.

"Thanks girls." Hay Lin said with a smile, and the group began moving once more towards Himerish.

* * *

The Guardians found it much easier to locate Himerish then it had been to find Kiev. Almost everyone they asked had heard of or knew the location of the former Oracle, and many spoke of the man in glowing terms. So it was with high hopes that the girls walked up the path towards the house in which they were told to find Himerish. The sign in front of the house read:

THE REFUGE: MEDICINAL CARE FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT.

Will was unsure if this was a good sign or not as they entered the house.

The interior of the building was eerily similar to that of the funeral home they had visited earlier, although with not nearly the same amount of class. Like the funeral home, behind a small wooden desk sat an elderly woman with long, greying hair. She smiled warmly as the girls approached.

"Don't tell me he's dead too!" Irma whispered as the girls entered.

"Well hello there! What can I do for you today?" the woman asked sweetly.

"For looking for a man named Himerish." Will said.

"Hmmm, you wouldn't be the first," the woman said with a smile. "Who should I tell him is asking?"

"Just tell him its Will Vandom and friends."

At the sound of Will's name, the woman's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise.

"The Will Vandom? Oh, I see. I'll fetch him right away." The woman said before scuttling off.

"Wow, Will's a celebrity now. She's 'The Will Vandom'." Irma said.

"And I think it's gone to her head. 'Will Vandom and friends'? Is that what we are now?" Cornelia said with a smile.

"Oh, knock it off."

After a few minutes, the woman returned followed by Himerish, although the girls could barely recognize him. The ex-Oracle was dressed in a casual set of clothes, and he had grown in a long white beard. He greeted the girls warmly, and, much to the girls surprise, gave Will a warm hug.

"Will! Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin! How are you all? It's so good to see you!"

"It is?" Will said, taken aback. "I mean, it's good to see you too! Um, how have you, uh, how have you been? You look… different."

"I feel great!" The Oracle said with a laugh. "Although I can understand how my appearance may be surprising. Long flowing robes aren't exactly the standard outfit for a doctor."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Wait a minute, what? Doctor?"

"One of the best in the land!" the woman, who up to now had been silent, said.

"Now Marda, you'll swell my head!" Himerish replied, to which Marda giggled and blushed.

"But… You're… I don't even… What?"

"What Will is trying to say," Taranee said, stepping in for her friend. "Is that we're not used to seeing you so relaxed. Especially considering how you left from Kandrakar."

"What did you expect Taranee?" Himerish responded. "That I would simply crawl in a corner and start to cry? That I couldn't handle life outside the fortress?"

"Yes." Irma said quickly. "That's exactly what we thought."

The other four girls glared at Irma, but much to all of their surprise, Himerish laughed.

"Oh, Irma, I missed your quick wit!" Himerish said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Quick wit? Okay, no we know he's insane. Can't we just knock him out and carry him back to Kanrdarkar? I mean, Yan Lin didn't say he had to be conscious." Cornelia said.

As he heard this, Himerish's face dropped.

"So that is your true motive." He said with a sigh. "I am surprised, although I suppose I should have known. What other reason would there have been for your visit?"

"I'm sorry," Will said, "but Endarno is… was a mistake. But he's gone now. It's a long story."

"But they want you to be Oracle again! You can go back to Kandrakar!" Hay Lin excitedly finished.

If the girls were expecting Himerish to celebrate this news, they were sadly mistaken. Himerish's face was one of sadness, while Marda looked worriedly up at her boss.

"Girls, I'd like you to see something. Come with me." Himerish said, turning towards a nearby door.

The girls, not expecting this response, followed him hesitatingly. He led them down a long hallway lined with doors. Each door had a window, and through all of them the girls could see hospital beds, all filled with sick and wounded.

"Before I was the Oracle, I was a doctor." Himerish said, opening a door and stepping inside. "I came from a wealthy family, and used my medical talents to help those who would not normally be able to afford such care."

As he said this he analyzed the chart of the patient in the bed. The man in the bed was missing an arm, but began to smile as soon as Himerish had entered the room.

"Hello Himerish. Are these the girls you told me about?" the man said.

"Yes they are." Himerish said with a smile. "Girls, I'd like you to meet Leon. He's a worker who runs a small family farm on the outskirts of town. Last month he had an accident with his equipment, and his arm needed to be amputated."

"Normally, the cost of a procedure like that would have ruined me and my family." Leon said. "But thanks to Himerish, my life is saved, and we will still have enough money to plant crops next year! It will be tough, but at least we have hope. And that's all we've ever needed."

"I've long fought for health care, but the red tape of bureaucracy is thick." Himerish said gravely. "When I was given a chance to go to Kandrakar, I thought I'd be able to solve problems like this one. But Kandrakar is too buried under their own weight to help anyone. But here, I'm needed. Here I can make a difference."

"But you don't understand." Taranee said. "Things have changed. Endarno…"

"I'm sure there is yet another problem you girls have to face," Himerish said, raising his hand to stop the girl. "Some other monster or villain. But this time, you're going to have to do it without me."

Will knew there wasn't much she could say to dispute this. Himerish truly looked happy here, and he was right, they were probably going to have to face the future without him at their side. And for some reason, that made Will very, very nervous.


	8. Finders Keepers

Chapter 7

Finders Keepers

As far as Hay Lin could remember, there was only one time that she had ever gotten in really big trouble with her grandma. It had been many years ago, when Hay Lin was only a child. She had been running through the house, pretending she was flying, when she accidentally knocked a priceless family vase that Yan Lin had brought out to clean. When Yan Lin found the vase on the ground, broken, she fixed Hay Lin with a look of pure sadness and disappointment. It was a look Hay Lin had never forgot, and it was the same look the Yan Lin was using now to stare at the Guardians.

"Let me see if I understand this." Yan Lin said slowly. "You were assigned two missions, and you completed…"

"None." Will said sadly, looking anywhere but at Yan Lin.

"Girls, I am so disappointed." Yan Lin replied.

"I hardly see how it was our fault." Cornelia said, pouting. "Your guy Himerish went native, and the other guy was dead!"

"Hmmm, let me explain." Yan Lin said, seeing the hurt in the eyes of the Guardians. "I am disappointed at the situation, not at you. I, as always, am incredibly proud of all you have accomplished, but the rest of Kandrakar does not feel the same way. I was hoping that success today would put their fears to rest, but now that is not the case."

"Exactly how bad is it?" Taranee asked. "I mean, they wouldn't replace us, would they."

"Actually, they can't do anything. That's the problem." Yan Lin said.

"The problem is they can't punish us?" Irma said, scrunching her face up in confusion. "I wish I had that problem more often."

"Right now, Kandrakar can't do anything. We are a body without a head. We need an Oracle, and based on what you said, Himerish is no longer the man for the job." Yan Lin said.

"So just elect a new one." Cornelia said. "Seemed easy enough last time. Endarno got the job in just a couple weeks."

"The problem is not procedure, it is candidates." Yan Lin explained. "These are… difficult times for the fortress, and no one feels confident enough to take on the role of Oracle. There are many who are qualified and eligible, but refuse to take the position. Such as…"

"You?" Will asked.

"Hey, yeah!" Hay Lin said, cheering up. "Grandma, you were almost Oracle last time the spot was open. Without Endarno, you'd be a shoe-in!"

"I'm afraid I lack your enthusiasm, granddaughter." Yan Lin said with a smile. "With a bit of effort, I believe I could become Oracle, but I no longer wish too. I am not the right person for the job."

"Something tells me only one person is." Will said gloomily.

"You are correct Will. Only one person is fit to lead Kandrakar." Yan Lin replied. "But we have chased him all the way back to Balsilide."

The girls stood in silence for a few moments, remembering their role in Himerish's departure. The silence lasted until Cornelia could no longer hold back the question she had been dying to ask.

"So, about our phones? You know, the ones you took?"

"You would think of that." Irma said, rolling her eyes.

"As I promised, here they are." Yan Lin said, producing the phones from her robe pocket.

"Thanks. Why did you take them?" Will asked.

"With the events on Balsilide, it is likely that the five of you will need to communicate with each other across long distances. So I have taken the liberty of allowing you phones to communicate across worlds. A universal calling plan, if you will. Wherever you are, you will be able to talk to each other using these phones."

"Cool." Cornelia said, inspecting her phone carefully for damage. "But why didn't you just tell us this earlier when you took them?"

"The fortress elders keep secrets for many reasons." Yan Lin said solemnly. "Sometimes for your safety, sometimes for ours, but often, as is the case this time,"

Yan Lin couldn't help but break out in a smile.

"We do it simply because it's fun."

Heatherfield

Though they had been to many different worlds and seen many incredible sights, the girls were convinced that there was no greater sound in the universe then that of the school bell signaling the end of classes. So of course, it was with smiles that all five of them met in the school courtyard.

"I mean, I feel bad, but what were we supposed to do?" Will said, leaning against a nearby tree. "I guess we should have checked in on him in retrospect, but…"

"Hindsight's always 20/20."

"Exactly! Thank you Taranee."

"Besides, what were we going to say?" Cornelia asked. "'Hi Himerish, sorry for getting you fired. Sweet house! Anyways, we've got to go save the universe see you later?'"

"Well, no sense worrying about what you can't change." Irma said.

"What can't you change?" Matt said, approaching the group.

"Oh, just something we did yesterday. It's a long story." Hay Lin said. "It was something you weren't involved in."

"That seems to be becoming a habit." Matt said, glaring at Will.

"Not now." Will whispered, looking up at her boyfriend. "Please?"

Matt sighed, but did as Will asked and remained silent. Meanwhile, Hay Lin had spotted Eric leaving the school, and stared mournfully after him.

"Still haven't told him?" Taranee asked, following Hay Lin's gaze.

"No, I just don't know the right time. I'm not even sure there is one." Hay Lin said, turning to Taranee. "Um, Tara?"

"Yeah?"

"You're, you know, okay with me telling Eric? I mean, if it works, and after you and Nigel…"

"If what Nigel and I had was truly special, then we'd still be together." Taranee said. "I would have had to told him sometime, and the same thing would have happened. Same with you and Eric."

"So you're okay with it?" Hay Lin asked.

"Of course. I'm sure it will be fine." Taranee said with a smile.

"Can someone please tell me what they're talking about?" Matt said, frowning at being left out yet again.

"Hay Lin's going to tell Eric about the Guardians." Cornelia explained. "The whole thing's very suspenseful."

"So if first base is kissing," Irma asked, "what does telling him about your secret life as a mystical Guardian count as? Short stop? A Bunt?"

"Ground rule double." Will said with a smile. Suddenly though, she was interrupted.

"Hello Guardians."

The girls went wide-eyed, stunned. This was the schoolyard, and no one was supposed to know about the Guardians. Qucikly, they turned to find a most unexpected visitor.

"That girl from the thing!" Irma blurted. "You know, with the stuff, and the… hair?"

"Orube." Will said, eyeing the newcomer with a mixture of surprise and concern.

"The replacement Guardian? The one we fought against on Kandrakar?" Taranee said.

"The very same." Orube responded.

"What are you doing here?" Will said, inching her hand towards the Heart.

Will was desperate to keep Orube's presence at the school hidden as much as possible, but it was tough. Orube had called them Guardians in a loud voice, as she was wearing the white and purple outfit of a warrior. Not to mention her bright blue hair, covering ears that were more feline then human.

"Do you remember the last thing I said to you on Kandrakar?" Orube asked.

Will thought about it for a moment.

"Ummmm…"

"'I'll get you next time?'" Irma offered.

"No, I… Why would I say that?" Orube asked confused.

"I don't know." Irma admitted. "Seems like a pretty standard post-fight threat for a villain to make."

Much to the girls' surprise, Orube seemed hurt by this comment.

"I am not a villain, and I make no threats." Orube said, head hung low. "Remember after the battle on Kandrakar, when you defeated my… pseudo-Guardians and rescued us from the power of the Engine? I told you that you saved our lives, and I would not forget it. I am true to my word."

"Well, that's great and all, but it doesn't really explain why you're on Earth." Irma said, eyeing Orube suspiciously.

"Because you saved my life," Orube explained patiently, "you now own it."

"We what?"

"Where I come from, debts are always paid." Orube said as if explaining something to a small child. "I owe you my life, and I will pay that debt. I am at your command. Whatever you wish me to do, I will do, or die trying. You are my masters."

The girls looked at each other nervously. No one knew what to say after being presented with such an offer. Will casually scratched her head while eyeing Taranee, the sign that they should begin speaking telepathically.

"_Well this is different._" Irma thought

"_What do we do Will? We can't accept her offer. We can't own a person._" Hay Lin replied.

"_Just tell her _'_thanks, but no thanks', and send her back to whatever world she came from._" Taranee added.

"_Let's not jump to conclusions here girls. This could be very useful." _Will thought.

"_What? No, we are not hiring a servant!" _Taranee thought.

"_Not a servant, but an ally. We wouldn't make her do anything she doesn't want to, but if she's willing to help…" _Will replied.

"_I'm with Will on this one. Think of how useful it would be to have someone without a civilian life working for us. Er, with us._" Cornelia thought.

"_This is a slippery slope. You sure you want to start heading down it?" _Taranee thought.

"_You and Hay Lin are against, and Cornelia and I are for. That leaves Irma as the tie breaker." _

All eyes turned to Irma, who looked away.

"_Girls, I think I speak for the entire group when I say that I shouldn't be the one making the important decisions."_

For Orube and Matt, who could not hear the telepathic conversation, the girls had spent the last few minutes staring at each other silently. Every now and then, a girl would glare at another, or a range of emotions would sweep across the face of one of the girls.

"Do they often do this?" Orube asked Matt.

"More then you might think. I'm Matt by the way." Matt said, raising his hand for Orube to shake.

"I am Orube. It is a pleasure to meet you. Why are you presenting me with your hand?"

"Oh, this?" Matt said, becoming very aware of his hand. "It's a Earth thing. You shake it and… you know what never mind. Hey, what's with the whole 'masters' thing? You really think you owe them your life?"

"Yes." Orube said bluntly. "You were not there, so you don't understand."

Matt gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

"Only by giving the Guardians my life in servitude can I ever hope to truly have dignity."

"How ironic." Matt said. "Well, I hate to break it to you and your dignity, but I know these girls pretty well, and they'll never accept your offer."

"We accept your offer." Will said, breaking the telepathic connection.

"Well, clearly I know nothing." Matt said, shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Thank you my masters." Orube said. "I hope to prove a worthy servant."

"No, no, no. No 'masters', no 'servant'." Will said clearly.

"You're not our property, and you never will be." Taranee said fiercely. "But you are welcome to be our friend. And there are some favors you could do for us."

"What ever you require, I shall do." Orube replied.

"Uh, I'm not to sure I'm comfortable with this." Matt said quickly.

"You're not the only one." Taranee replied, eyeing Will.

"She can do the Guardian stuff and we can have more time for social activities. Like spending time with you and mom." Will explained.

"I didn't say I was against it. I'm just not comfortable with it." Matt said, folding his arms.

"I for one am glad you have taken me up on my offer." Orube said, stepping up in front of Will. "Tell me mas… Guardian, what would you have me do?"

"Well, first of all, stop calling us Guardians out loud. Kind of ruins the whole secret identity thing." Will said. "I'm Will. This is Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin."

"I am aware of all of your names." Orube said, beginning to glare at Will. "Now, my task?"

"Oh, uh, right." Will stammered. "We are looking for the Heart of Balsilide. All we know is that it is somewhere on, um,"

"Balsilide?"

"Yeah, but I was trying to figure out a way to make it sound less dumb." Will said with a smile. "Anyways, we'd like to be looking for it 24/7, but we have this annoying little thing called life."

"Yeah, I hate how that's always getting in the way." Irma added.

"But if you, Orube, could stakeout Balsilide, then at least someone would be looking for the Heart at all times."

"I see." Orube said. "And when you say 'steak' out, are you referring to the pointy stick of the cooked meat?"

"Uh… neither." Will said, slightly stunned.

"Although I am curious what you would do if we said the cooked meat." Irma said.

"Just go to Balsilide, look around, and see if anyone has seen a jewel like that looks like a Heart. Okay?" Taranee said.

"Very well. I shall serve you well, Guardians." Orube said.

Will sighed and glanced at her friends. Their faces made it quite clear that none of them were comfortable with this course of action. She had done a good job of convincing them it was the right thing to do. Now if only she could convince herself.

Balsilide

Kabina ran down the ally as quick as her little feet would carry her. The small girl with short black hair ducked under carts and narrowly avoided an older man stumbling out of the local pub. She didn't stop to apologize, instead continuing to sprint down the muddy path. With great enthusiasm, she shoved open the door to her house, which gave way with a mighty groan.

"Mother! Mother! Look what I found!" she said, holding up a strange object.

Her mother, and her older sister Selna, turned to look at Kabina. In her hand, Kabina held a small, purple jewel, unlike any they had ever seen. The inside of the jewel was cloudy, but Selna could have sworn she saw sparks in the jewel as Kabina rubbed it.

"Found, right? Not stolen?" their mother said, eyeing Kabina suspiciously.

"Found. Honest!" Kabina said, looking hurt.

"You got luck squirt." Selna said, rubbing her younger sisters head affectionately. "That jewel's going to look great around you neck."

"Actually, I want you to have it." Kabina said, handing the jewel to her sister. "It will make you look even more beautiful!"

Selna knew for a fact she was not beautiful, but 16 years of living in the slums of Balsilide had taught her never to reject a gift. With a smile, she took the jewel from her younger sister, and placed it around her neck, tucking the thin line of string under her long, black hair.

"Aw, thanks Kabina." She said, eyeing the jewel. "It really is beautiful."

The three women were so busy admiring the jewel that none of them had noticed a shadow slip under the door a minute earlier, just as none of them noticed it leave the same way. If they had seen it, they would have noticed it laughing as it faded away into the night.


	9. Winds of Change

Chapter 8

Winds of Change

Heatherfield

Irma dreamed about flying. She found it was all she dreamed about. While she knew this was not an uncommon thing, she figured few did it as accurately as her. When she was walking, she was limited in where she could go. Forwards, backwards, left, right, and even those were often restricted. But flying was different. While flying, nowhere was impossible to go, and nothing was impossible to see. Up, down, there were no limits. Combine that with the power to travel between worlds, and the possibilities were infinite.

Normally, dreaming of such things didn't get Irma in trouble. She did it on the bus, or while in bed, waiting to fall asleep. Normally, she was safe to dream for as long as she wanted. This however, was not a normal time.

"Irma, watch out!"

Irma stopped her hands mere inches from the steaming water. She quickly pulled back her arms and turned to her savior.

"Crazy girl! Let the water cool before you shove your hands in it."

Josh threw a towel at her as he said this, but Irma caught it with ease. It was tough to tell through the steam of the Moxie kitchen, but Irma thought she saw real concern in her co-workers eyes.

"Come on, you've been working here a week now. You know better then that." Josh said returning to work.

"Yeah, guess my mind was just flying away." Irma said, putting thoughts of the Guardians away.

"That's your problem. You spend too much time with your head in clouds." Josh said.

"With all the steam in here, what the difference between this kitchen and the clouds?" Irma replied.

Josh looked at Irma, and chuckled.

"Maybe you're right Irma." He said with a laugh. "Look, I know we got off to a rough start, but you're not so bad sky-girl."

"Thanks. For the complement and the rescue." Irma said, putting her hands in the now safely cooled water. "Why the change of heart?"

"This job sucks." Josh said with a shrug. "But it sucks less with someone else."

Irma couldn't argue with this. The steam was blinding, the temperature was through the roof, and the breaks were few and far between. The monotony of dish after dish was enough to drive Irma insane, but at this point, it was still better then being at home. There, her life was simply math tests and lectures from parents. She shoved those thoughts and memories to the back of her mind, and returned to her work, dreaming of wings and endless skies.

* * *

Cornelia couldn't remember the last time she felt so uncomfortable, but she was pretty sure that it had also involved her father. This time, however, it was not Harold Hale who was making Cornelia feel this way, but rather the young man sitting across from her. With short blonde hair, light blue eyes and an entrancing smile that never left his face, there was no doubt that Timothy Derringer was handsome. He also wealthy, a fact that had not escaped the notice of Cornelia's father when planning this dinner. Harold would never admit to setting his daughter up, but if Cornelia and Timothy did spark a relationship, then the families would certainly be better for it.

Only a few years ago, Cornelia would have played along happily. The boy was handsome and was rich, all characteristics Cornelia found very attractive. But that was before the Guardians, and more importantly, before Caleb. Since then, she had matured and saw through Timothy's shallow exterior. Sure, he had a lot of things going for him, but he was no Caleb. The four of them were seated around the table; Cornelia and her father on one side, while Timothy and his father sat on the other.

"So, Cornelia, tell us a little about yourself." Mr. Derringer said.

Cornelia paused at this seemingly simple question. She knew that eventually she would have to tell her father about the Guardians, and the fact that she had a boyfriend from another world, but now was neither the time nor the place. The trouble was, she found, that after the Guardians, there wasn't all that much about her worthy to tell.

"Well, I attend the Sheffield Institute, my hobbies include figure skating and…"

"Ah, figure skating!" Mr. Derringer interrupted. "We ourselves take an avid interest in the sport. Right Timothy?"

"Oh yes father." Timothy replied, never taking his eyes off Cornelia. "Such beauty, such grace in the sport. Why, just last winter we skated at Tjörnin Lake in Reykjavik, Somerset house in London, and the Rideau Canal in Canada."

"The Rideau? The worlds largest ice rink?" Cornelia blurted before she could help herself. "Um, I mean, how nice."

"It was, but let's not waste time talking about me. Tell us more about yourself." Timothy said with a charming smile. "What is Sheffield like?"

"Sheffield?" Cornelia said, surprised by the question. "Sheffield's… actually quite nice. The building may be old, to say nothing of the teachers, but I've made some lifelong friends there."

"It sounds exquisite." Timothy said, maintaining his smile. "I myself have gone to a private school for the last three years. The facilities and staff are state of the art, but it lacks some of the charm that one can only find in the public systems. After all, it is not the bricks and mortars that make a building, but the people inside. Don't you agree?"

"I do indeed." Cornelia said, returning his smile.

Soon, the drinks arrived and a toast was made to friendship and prosperity. Cornelia eyed Timothy as she drank. She kept reminding herself that the boy in front of her was not a monster or a demon, or someone to be suspicious of. He was just an ordinary boy, and a charming one at that. Besides, she told herself, it's not as if she was going out with him, she was still loyal to Caleb. But there was no harm in enjoying herself on a night out with her father and his friends. She continued to tell herself that as she enjoyed the long evening.

* * *

Hay Lin was walking down Shell Beach, holding the hand of Eric Lyndon, and trying to stop her heart from beating through her chest. The normally calm and relaxed girl was now a nervous wreck. Her forehead glistened with sweat, her hands shook and her breathing was short and quick. She was trying her best to hide these signs from her boyfriend, but it was obviously in vain.

"All you alright?" Eric said, stopping to look at Hay Lin. "You're acting really strange."

"What?" Hay Lin said quickly. "I'm not acting strange. Why would I be strange? Nothing's strange! No one's acting strange. You're acting strange!"

"Uh huh." Eric said, unconvinced. "Look, I like that we're spending more time together, I really do. But this is the third day in a row you've wanted to go out, and every time we do, you get really quiet. What gives?"

"There's… there's something I need to tell you." Hay Lin said quietly.

Eric turned and gripped her gently by the shoulders, staring into her dark eyes.

"Hay Lin, you can tell me anything. You know that." Eric said softly.

Hay Lin melted and froze at the same time. She could feel the moisture disappearing from her mouth. She had spent the last week and a half thinking about only this moment. Eric was the most important person in her life. She was never happier then when she was with him, and yet it could be for naught, depending on how the next few minutes went. She knew she had no choice, yet here she was second-guessing herself for the third day in a row. But she would not wait any longer. She was going to say it now, nothing would stop her. Just say it nice and quick, she told herself, like a Band-Aid.

"I'mamemberofasecretmagicalteamofgirlsthattravelst odifferentworldstofightevilandIcontrolairandIcanfl y."

Eric stared quizzically at Hay Lin for a few moments, trying to take in what she had said. He gave up after a few moments.

"Okay. I got none of that. Why don't you slow down and try it again." Eric said slowly.

Hay Lin took a deep breath and started again.

"You know how I'm always running off randomly? And how I'm never around at night and I always tell you I'm with friends? That's not true." Hay Lin said.

"Oh?" Eric replied, getting slightly concerned. "And what have you been doing?"

"Well, actually, I have been with friends." Hay Lin said quickly. "But not really. I mean we are friends, but we're not doing normal friend things. So even though I'm out, and I'm with friends, I'm not really out with friends, and…"

"Hay Lin! Slow. Down." Eric said, staring down his girlfriend.

"Right. Right. Sorry. Just a little nervous." Hay Lin said. "Eric, I'm part of a… team called the Guardians. We use the power of the elements to travel to different worlds and fight evil. It's me, Will, Irma, Taranee and Cornelia. I like to call us W.I.T.C.H, 'cause that's what our initials spell. See, Will is the W, and Irma is the…"

"Hay Lin…"

"Right, sorry, focusing. Anyways, that's why I'm always busy. That's why I can't see you as much as I want to, because I have to keep going to other worlds, stopping monsters, and tyrants, and things like that. But now that I've told you about that, you understand, right?"

"Oh I understand." Eric said calmly. "Hay Lin, you've been under a lot of stress lately. Exams are coming up, you're tired, and I get it. And I know you have an amazing imagination. That's why you're such a good artist."

"Eric, I'm not…"

"It's okay, it happens to the best of us. Let's get you home, and you can get some rest."

Hay Lin sighed. She had anticipated this, and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket.

"Will. Start the light show." She said into the phone.

"Will?" Eric asked. "What does Will…"

A blinding pink light interrupted Eric. It lit up the empty beach, causing Eric to cover his eyes. When he opened them again, Hay Lin was still standing in front of him, but she was different. She was a foot taller, looked older, was wearing different clothes, and Eric thought he saw something odd on her back.

"Well… that's… something." Eric stammered. "I don't know what, but it's definitely something."

"Now do you believe me?" Hay Lin asked.

"Are those wings?"

"Yep. See, watch."

Hay Lin grabbed Eric and took off from the beach. She kept the flight low and short, as to not attract attention and to keep Eric from freaking out any more then he already was.

"You… you can fly?" Eric said once they had landed. "You can fly. You can fly! You can fly?"

"Eric, you keep saying that." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"I know, but, you can fly. I flew!"

"So, what do you think?" Hay Lin said nervously. "I would have told you earlier, but we have a secret identity thing going on. My parents don't even know! But, I want to tell you, because you're important to me, and you deserve to know. You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad?" Eric said with a smile. "I'm a lot of things right now, but I'm definitely not mad! This… this is amazing! You're amazing! You're beautiful, and smart, and you can fly, and…"

With out warning, Eric ran up and kissed Hay Lin on the lips. Hay Lin was taken aback, but quickly returned the kiss lovingly. They stood there for what seemed like eternity, wrapped up in each other's arms, feeling the cold night breeze run over them.

"Sorry." Eric said once they had disengaged. "I just, I don't know, it felt right."

"I'll say." Hay Lin said with a laugh. "Eric I…"

Just then, Hay Lin was interrupted by her ringing phone. The caller I.D. said Will, so Hay Lin answered it.

"Sorry Eric, just a second." She said, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hello? Orube? What are you… oh no. Yeah, I'm on my way. No, wait until we get there."

Hay Lin put away the phone and turned to Eric.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I wish I could stay…"

"It's alright." Eric said with a smile. "Duty calls, right? Go save the world."

Hay Lin kissed him on the check, and flew off into the night, leaving Eric with his thoughts, and the promise of a sleepless night ahead.

Balsilide

Selna, Kabina, and their mother sat for dinner like they always had. It wasn't much food, it never was, but it satisfied the sisters in a way only the cooking of their mother could. As her mother cleared the table, Selna eyed the jewel that her little sister had found and given to her.

As beautiful as it was, it almost seemed like it was getting heavier by the day. As she looked at it now, it got darker before her eyes. Selna eyed it closely before realizing it wasn't the jewel that was getting darker. It was a shadow.

Slena turned behind her, to see a shadow rising from the ground, with bright red eyes staring back at her.

"Hello girl." The shadow said. "You have something of mine."

"Selna! Run!"

Selna peered around the shadow to see her mother standing behind it, frying pan raised like a weapon. Without turning around, the shadow hit Selna's mother with a sharp backhand, sending the woman flying.

"Mother!" Kabina cried out, running to her fallen parent.

The shadow stood over Kabina and her mother, arm poised to strike.

"No!" Shouted Selna, causing the shadow to pause.

"You want their lives to be spared, then give me what I want." The shadow said. "Give me the Heart of Balsilide!"


	10. Dust to Dust

Chapter 9

Dust to Dust

Orube was frustrated. That much was obvious to anyone who saw her walking the streets of Balsilide. Her hands clenched in and out of fists, and her jaw was tightly clamped. Her eyes darted quickly between buildings, even though she wasn't quite sure what she was expecting to see.

Many things contributed to Orube's bad mood. Just a month ago, she had been a Guardian, leader of the greatest team in the universe. For a born warrior such as herself, such a title was the greatest honor she could ever hope to receive. Yet as quickly as it was given, the honor was taken away. Endarno had misled her, and the Heart of Kandrakar had been once more returned to the Earth girl, Will Vandom. Even worse then that, the girl had saved her life.

Orube was a Paliser, one of the elite warriors of the world known as Conestoga. She had been trained to fight and live with honor, and to always pay her debts. She now owed her life to the Vandom girl, and she would see her debt repaid no matter what. It was this debt that had her in a foul mood, and it was this debt that found her scouting the foreign world of Balsilide.

What frustrated Orube more then anything, however, was that all of these problems were her fault. As much as she'd like to, Orube couldn't blame anyone but herself for her situation. Dark days were coming. She knew it, and Endarno had known it too. In order for anyone to survive whatever was approaching, the Heart of Kandrkar needed a true warrior as its bearer. Someone like Orube, who could wield it with deadly, unyielding force. Orube wished Vandom no ill will, but the girl was but a child, and no better fitted for combat. And yet, Orube had failed to keep the Heart out of her hands. Well, if Will was to wield it, Orube would make sure she did it with her strength, and with a true warrior of Conestoga at her side. It was her duty to do so, whether she liked it or not.

Orube was in the middle of these thoughts when she heard the first scream. She turned in the direction of the sounds as panicked people ran past her. As she used her keen vision to peer down the long alley, she noticed that one of the houses was badly damaged, with dirt and smoke arising from the base. And Orube thought she could just barely see a shadow slipping though the haze. With a sigh, she took out the strange object given to her by Will. What had the Vandom girl called it? Ah yes, a cell phone. She pressed the sequence of numbers like she had been taught, and was soon talking to Hay Lin.

"Hay Lin. It is Orube. I am on Balsilide. I believe I have spotted the Shadow Walker, bring the girls. I am moving to intercept."

"No." Hay Lin interrupted. "Wait until we get there."

Orube began to protest, but was cut off as Hay Lin hung up. With another sigh, Orube began to wait impatiently.

* * *

Only meters away form where Orube waited, the Shadow Walker loomed large in front of Selna. The creature knew that reinforcements would arrive any second, so it moved quickly to its end goal.

"The jewel, girl." The Shadow Walker said, holding out an extended hand. "The one around your neck. Give it to me."

Selna instinctively grabbed the jewel's string, preparing to take it off. She had only just received it yesterday, her younger sister Kabina having found it and given it to her. It held no monetary or sentimental value, so Selna had no trouble parting with it. As she was removing it, she paused, looking down at where her little sister sat next to their injured mother. This creature had put hurt her mother, and Selna didn't like that. She didn't know why the creature wanted this jewel, but she wouldn't be so quick to give it up.

"Why should I?" Selna said, keeping a firm grasp on the heart.

The creature's eyes burned brightly with anger. He had hoped that this girl would hand over the Heart of Balsilide willingly, but now that she hadn't, the creature faced an issue. Attacking the girl could easily damage the powerless, and therefore fragile, Heart. Plus, if the attack missed, the girl could escape into the alleyways, where she had the distinct advantage, and it did not have time for chases. Fortunately, the Shadow Walker was nothing if not resourceful.

"Give me the jewel, for if you don't, it is not you I will hurt," the Shadow walker said, raising his arms, "but your family."

With a shove, the Shadow Walker cracked the flimsy roof above the heads of Kamila and her mother. Selna was in no danger, but the Shadow Walker was now the only thing supporting the celling. If he let go, the roof would come crashing down on her mother and sister.

"No!" Selna said, as her family cowered in fear. "I'll do as you say."

Selna was just about to hand over the jewel when a blast of water struck the Shadow Walker in the chest. The Shadow Walker, not expecting the attack, was sent flying. Unable to support the ceiling any longer, the stones and beams above Selna's sister and mother began to fall. Selna saw her family only for a brief second before they disappeared beneath the rubble.

"Mother!"

Selna ran to the rubble where her family had been and began pulling stones away as quickly as she could, until her young hands were raw and bleeding. She did not stop even as a hand grasped her shoulder. Irma, who had fired through the haze, looked down at the girl with gentle eyes.

"Oops, sorry about the house, kid." Irma said quickly. "We'll help rebuild it, promise."

Irma was about to take off in chase of the Shadow Walker when she noticed something and stopped in her tracks. There was something sticking out of the rubble. Irma's skin went cold as she recognized the shape of a hand.

"No. No, no, no, no." Irma said quietly, bending down beside the rubble.

Quickly, Irma began helping Selna clear the stones, panic rising in her heart. She felt her body go into shock, as more was uncovered.

"Help!" Irma screamed. "I need help! Cornelia!"

Down the street, the Guardians stopped their pursuit of the Shadow Walker and turned towards Irma. They felt the fear and panic in Irma's voice, and with speed, Cornelia and Taranee turned back towards the house, while Will and Hay Lin kept after the Shadow Walker.

When the two girls reached Irma and Selna, and saw the sight in front of them, they too felt their hearts sink. Cornelia quickly lifted the debris away with her powers, revealing the lifeless bodies of Kamila and her mother.

"Are they…? They can't be…" Irma said breathlessly.

"I'm sorry Irma." Taranee said checking for a pulse. "But it's too late. For both of them."

"What… What happened?" Cornelia asked, trying to maintain her composure.

"It was me." Irma said quietly. "I attacked, I didn't know… the roof must have collapsed on them. It's all my fault."

"Irma, you can't blame yourself." Cornelia said, helping Irma to her feet. "Any of us could have done it."

"But you didn't." Irma said, "I did. Just like every other time. I mess up, I make the mistakes."

"Irma…"

"Except this time it's not just my life I messed up, but hers."

Irma pointed to Selna, sitting silently by her mother's body. Tears streamed down her face, but she said nothing. Taranee kneeled beside her, not knowing what to say. She was about to comfort the girl, when Taranee noticed something hanging abound the girls' neck.

"Is that…?" Taranee whispered. "Hey girls, I think I know why the Shadow Walker was here."

Carefully, Taranee removed the Heart from around Selna's neck. The young girl did not resist.

"The Heart of Balsilide." Cornelia said, examining the jewel. "That must be what it's after."

"And it killed this girls family to get it." Taranee said.

"No, it didn't."

The three Guardians looked down to see Selna getting up, tears running down her cheek.

"He wasn't going to hurt them. But then you came!" Selna said, pointing at Irma. "You attacked! You destroyed our house! And you killed my family!"

Irma stood there, stunned.

"Please, she didn't mean too." Taranee said, trying to comfort Selna.

Taranee glanced at Irma, but the Water Guardians had turned, hiding her face.

"What's going on here?"

The girls turned to see Balken and the R.E.G appear in the street, swords drawn and surveying the scene. Orube was also accompanying them.

"Your ally, whose presence on Balsilide we will talk about later, alerted us to an attack, and instead we find this!"

"The Shadow Walker did indeed attack." Taranee said. "Will and Hay Lin have chased him off. He was looking for this. The Heart of Balsilide.

"Facinating." Balken said, eyeing the jewel. "There are many who believe such an item is a myth."

"I assure you it's not." Grimm, the team's magician, said. "Instead, it is the most powerful magical device in the world. To see it up close is… breathtaking."

"Trust me, you don't want the Shadow Walker to get his hands on it." Taranee said. "Now take it, and the girl, and get as far away from here as you can."

"You do not give us orders, Guardian." Balken said proudly.

"I'm not giving you orders, I'm giving you the most powerful weapon on the planet." Taranee said calmly.

Balken thought this over, and decided to accept the Heart. The girl Selna, however, was not as willing.

"No! I'm not going! I want to stay with my mother and my sister! You can't take me!" Selna screamed, resisting the members of the R.E.G.

"Child, what is your name?" Balken asked, with a gentleness that surprised the Guardians.

"Selna."

"Selna. A beautiful name." Balken replied in a sweet voice. "Selna, I'm sorry for what happened today, but wouldn't your mother want you to be safe?"

Selna thought this over, then reluctantly followed the archer Syln to safety. Taranee was glad to see the girl go, but couldn't shake the mistrust she felt towards Balken. Putting her suspicion aside for now, she got around to the task at hand.

"I'm going to fill in Will and Hay Lin on the situation here." Taranee said, focusing her telepathic powers.

For a few seconds, Taranee went silent, closing her eyes and contacting Will. When she opened her eyes, they were filled with fear.

"Everybody, move!"

The group scattered just as Hay Lin slammed into the ground at their feet. Stunned, Hay Lin looked up, just as Will landed beside her.

"I thought you chased the Shadow Walker away!" Cornelia said, helping the girls to their feet.

"Yeah, well, he chased us right back!" Will said, pointing to the sky.

The Guardians and the R.E.G dove for cover as the Shadow Walker landed in front of them. Thinking quickly, Hay Lin used a small tornado to keep the Shadow Walker off-balance, while Cornelia created a stone cage around him.

"It's over, Shadow Walker." Will said. "You can't hope to defeat all of us."

"Debatable." The Shadow Walker replied calmly. "But irrelevant. I don't need to defeat any of you."

Quickly, the Shadow Walker passed through the bars of his cage, weaving between the Guardians before they had a chance to attack. With incredible speed, he headed straight for Balken. With a swift punch of a now solid fist, it knocked Balken down, grabbing the Heart of Balsilide in a fluid motion. The R.E.G, with the help of the Guardians, quickly surrounded the Shadow Walker, but any attempt to stop the villain failed, as swords and elements simply went through his intangible form. With great speed, and before Will could think of a plan, the Shadow Walker passed through the line of heroes, and slipped into a dark alleyway. Hay Lin gave chase, momentarily, but quickly realized it was in vain.

"He escaped!" Balken said, getting to his feet. "You let him escape!"

"We? What do you mean, we?" Cornelia shouted back. "You had the Heart!"

"A heart he never would have gotten if it wasn't for your incompetence!" Balken replied. "A stone cage? Really? Is that the best you can do?"

Will wanted desperately to shout back at Balken with Cornelia, but she knew well enough not to. The Shadow Walker was a powerful enemy, and to defeat it, the girls would need powerful allies.

"Look, this fixes nothing." Will said, standing between the bickering parties. "We both want the same goal. We stand a better chance of taking down this Shadow Walker guy together, then alone."

Balken frowned, but could not help but see the logic in this statement.

"We will take the girl." Balken said, checking on Selna's safety. "We will take care of her."

"Um, girl? Why is there a girl?" Will asked. She looked back to Taranee, who only shook her head. "Fine, whatever. What if the Shadow Walker attacks again?"

"We will… contact you." Balken said, stumbling over the sentence. "If necessary."

"Good enough." Will said. "For now."

The two parties turned their separate ways. Irma didn't want to look back at Selna, but she had no choice. Staring into the young girls eyes, she found only hatred, no forgiveness. Irma could hardly blame her. They had lost, she thought as Will folded them back to Earth. In every sense of the word, they had lost and she had failed. And Irma had a horrible feeling that it wouldn't be the last time either.


	11. Trade Agreements

Chapter 10

Trade Agreements

Heatherfield

Cornelia checked her watch and bolted down the stairs. She was supposed to meet Will, Hay Lin and Eric under the bridge downtown at three, and it was already 2:55. She cursed the Internet for being so addictive, and was reaching for the door when her father stopped her.

"Cornelia honey, phone for you."

Probably Will, wondering where she was, Cornelia thought.

"Tell her I'm on my way." Cornelia shouted back, turning the handle.

"It's not one of your usual friends," her father replied. "It's Timothy."

"Oh?" Cornelia replied, both surprised and confused that Timothy would call her.

"He's getting together with friends tomorrow, and he wants to know if you would like to accompany them. Should I tell then you'd be thrilled?" Harold Hale yelled back.

Cornelia's mind switched into overdrive. True, she had enjoyed the dinner with Timothy last week, but what had begun as a funny little incident was now becoming a potentially major issue. What were his intentions? How serious would he get? A quick glance at her watch reminded her that this was not the time to answer those questions.

"I'm running late dad, tell him I'll think about it." Cornelia replied.

"Where are you going?" Mr. Hale asked, raising an eyebrow.

Meridian, Cornelia thought.

"Out." Cornelia said. "To the mall. With friends."

"Do you want me to invite Timothy?" her father asked.

"No!" Cornelia replied louder then she intended. "I mean, no, dad. Look, tell him I'll call him later, alright?"

Before her father could reply, Cornelia slipped out of room and into the hallway, hurrying towards the elevator.

Meridian

"You could have gone ahead."

"That's not the point, Cornelia. We said 3:00, and you weren't there until… hold on, Raythor's here."

Will, Cornelia, Hay Lin and Eric stepped from the fold into the Meridian mess hall. Raythor was in the process of carrying a large plate back to his table, when he noticed the group and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Raythor said, taking a seat.

"Hi Raythor." Will said casually. "How are you doing?"

"Meh, can't complain." Raythor said, stabbing his meal with a fork. "By the way, you do realize that you've got someone with you, right?"

Eric, who had been until now surveying the room slowly, now became aware of Raythor's piercing stare. He waved sheepishly from behind Hay Lin while Raythor continued to stare.

"Yeah, we know." Will said with a smile. "Is Elyon around? Might as well wait for her to show up before we explain."

"Oh, she should be here any second." Raythor said smugly.

As if on cue, Elyon walked through the door and into the mess hall, flanked by Julian and Vathek.

"Girls!" Elyon said with a smile. "I wasn't expecting you! How are…"

Suddenly, Elyon noticed Eric, and her tone became icy.

"Who's that?" Elyon said, glaring at the young boy.

"Eric, meet Elyon, Queen of Meridian. Elyon, this is Eric Lyndon, my boyfriend." Hay Lin said, introducing the two. "A couple days ago, I told him about the Guardians, and so now he's taking his first trip to Meridian."

"Is he? How nice." Elyon said in a sickly sweet voice. "And, just out of curiosity, did any time in this decision making, did you think about asking us about whether we'd like a stranger from another world visiting us?"

"Um, well, no." Hay Lin admitted. "I mean, do you care?"

"Yes, Hay Lin, I do care." Elyon replied. "Every living thing on this planet cares. Do you know what many, including myself consider to be the greatest threat to Meridian? Earth. So I'm not exactly thrilled that another earthling knows about Meridian."

"Oh, come on, Elyon." Cornelia said. "How could Earth be a threat?"

"Do you know what would happen if the people of Earth found out about us? About Meridian?" Elyon said.

"It would probably be fine." Cornelia replied.

"The Vikings, the Crusades, the Europeans and the Native Americans, name one time where two groups of people have met each other and it's been just 'fine'?" Elyon said, crossing her arms.

"She's not wrong." Will said, thinking about it.

"There's tons of minerals on Meridian that would be incredibly valuable to any other world. If Earth ever found out about Meridian and its resources, it would mean the end for us." Elyon continued, on the verge of yelling. "Our way of life, our people, gone. All of it. So you can't just go and…"

Julian put a hand on Elyon's shoulder, and the young monarch paused for a moment. She saw the looks on the faces of her friends, and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry girls, I don't mean to snap at you." Elyon said, sounding much calmer then before. "It's just… it's been a tough couple of months. And I am right. Still, what's done is done. Hay Lin, feel free to show Eric around. Just be careful, alright?"

"Of course, Elyon, thanks!" Hay Lin said with a squeal of delight.

Without hesitating, she grabbed Eric by the arm and dragged him off before he could even say bye.

"Hey Elyon, have you seen my boyfriend at all?" Cornelia asked as she watched Hay Lin disappear.

"He's in the training room." Raythor shouted from the back of the room, having observed the scene with interest, his face constantly stuffed with food.

"Again?" Elyon asked. "He's been spending a lot of time there recently."

Raythor gave his Queen a shrug and returned to his meal.

"Has he said anything to you Cornelia?" Elyon said.

"No." Cornelia replied. "I mean literally, he hasn't said a word to me since…"

"Since Kandrakar." Elyon finished. "Something happened to him there, and he just hasn't been the same since."

Elyon pondered for a moment, and then reluctantly turned to Julian.

"I didn't want to do this, but I think I have to, for Caleb's sake." Elyon said to Julian. "What happened in that final room on the way to the Engine?"

"It showed us our greatest fears." Julian replied. "That was the final challenge. It showed us everything we ever dreaded or feared. Walli and Raythor made it through only because of sheer will power."

"And what did you see?" Cornelia asked.

"I saw everyone I love die around me because I failed them." Julian replied. "If I know my son, and I do, I would say he saw the same thing."

"But how come he's acting so strange and yet you and the others seem unaffected?" Elyon asked.

"Caleb's has the weight of responsibility on his shoulders more then anyone else." Julian replied. "Remember, he became the rebel leader when he was only fifteen. He feels it's his duty to protect every single person on Meridian."

"I better go talk to him." Cornelia said. "I bet I can cheer him up a bit."

"Good luck." Elyon said, watching Cornelia leave before turning to Will. "Speaking of troubled souls, I heard about what happened on Balsilide. How's Irma doing?"

"She's Irma." Will replied with a shrug. "You know how nothing gets her down."

Heatherfield

Irma, Taranee and Orube walked up the steps of Weldrick Palace, the home of the President of Balsilide. They were dressed in full Guardians gear, except for Orube who wore her finest battle outfit. The three of them were enough to elicit stares from all onlookers, whether they be guards or simple palace staff. Taranee and Orube acted as if the stares did not bother them, while Irma was happy to oblige them. Anyone who gave the three girls an odd glance had it returned by the water Guardian, and so it continued until they reached the throne room.

"Mr. President." Taranee said respectfully. "Thank you for meeting us on such short notice."

"It is hard to say no to the Guardians." President Rikar replied. "Much as I'd like to."

"Well, let's hope it stays that way, because we've got a favor to ask." Irma said.

"You? Have a favor to ask me?" Rikar asked, beginning to frown. "I am aware of what happened the other day, Guardian. The girl Selna is still mourning."

Taranee watched Irma's face carefully. It had been two days since that incident, and Irma had been handling herself well. She always did. To Taranee's amazement, but not her surprise, Irma jumped only a little, even when being reminded of that tragic day.

"If I could just talk to her," Irma said, "explain what happened."

"She has no interest in talking to you." Rikar replied, standing up from his chair. "Any of you! And I have half a mind to agree with her!"

"No wait just a…"

"You came into my city uninvited, ruined a girl's life, and failed to stop a terrorist from gaining possession of what Wilder tells me is the most powerful weapon in the world!"

Well," Irma replied, "you're off the Christmas card list."

Taranee smiled at Irma's ability to joke in any situation, but as Rikar turned to sit, Taranee saw something change in her friend. Her face dropped, and the sparkle disappeared from her eye. It was a side of Irma Taranee had never seen, and it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"What is this favor you would ask of me?" Rikar asked, head in hand.

"We would like to help in retrieving the Heart of Balislide." Taranee said calmly. "But since we don't know where the Heart is, we can't afford to waste time looking while there are more important things on other worlds to attend to. We simply don't have the time."

The 'more important things' were actually the exams the girls had coming up in a few weeks, not to mention that none of them wanted to spend 8 hours a day on Balsilde, but Taranee decided not to mention this.

"Where is this going?" Rikar asked.

"To this woman, Orube." Taranee said as Orube stepped to the front. "Since we are unable to, Orube will be our eyes and ears on Balsilide until the Heart has been found."

"You're asking me to allow unknown military personnel into my city?" Rikar said in a tone that left little doubt as to how he felt about this idea."

"Actually, Irma misspoke earlier." Taranee replied. "We're not asking you anything. We're telling you. Kandrakar has labeled this as a universal level threat, which means we can do whatever we want. Telling you about it is merely a courtesy."

"A universal level threat?" Rikar asked. "For something that I am told exists on every world? What makes this Heart so special?"

"Sorry, that's classified." Taranee replied.

Rikar's face turned a bright red when he heard this.

"Do not seek to make an enemy out of me, girl." He said through gritted teeth.

"And vice versa." Taranee quickly responded. "Believe me when I say a friend in Kandrakar is better then the alternative."

Rikar frowned, but sat back in his chair when he heard this. The President of Balsilide may have been a proud man, but even he knew better then to anger Kandrakar.

"I believe it's best if you be on your way now." Rikar said.

"As you wish." Taranee responded politely.

The three girls turned to leave. Making sure they were out of the castle before talking amongst themselves.

"This may sound weird coming from me, but are you sure that was smart?" Irma asked. "I mean, I don't like these Balsilidian guys either, but it looks like we're going to have to work with them for a little while. You sure you want to make them mad?"

"Actually, I took a page from your book today, Irma." Taranee said, using the borrowed Heart to open a fold back to Heatherfield. "It may not have been the smartest thing to do, but boy did it feel good."

Irma found it hard to argue with that.

Meridian

Cornelia tentatively peered into the military training room. Rows of exercise equipment lined the walls, while training dummies filled the rest of the space. One of these dummies was on the receiving end of a beating handed out by the rooms' lone occupant, Caleb. The boy glanced over to Cornelia in between blows, giving a nod and a smile before refocusing on his target.

"Hello Cornelia." He said. "I heard you had arrived. Everything alright?"

"Yeah." Cornelia replied. "Hay Lin told Eric about the Guardians, so she's giving him the tour of the castle."

"Bet Elyon wasn't to thrilled about that." Caleb said still practicing. "How's Eric handling it?"

"Actually, I don't want to talk about Eric. I want to talk about you." Cornelia replied. "Julian told us what happened in the fifth chamber."

At this, Caleb stopped and turned his full attention to Cornelia.

"Oh did he?" Caleb said. "Everything?"

"I know what you saw, Caleb." Cornelia said. "You saw us die, because you thought you failed us. I know it's tough, but you didn't fail us. You've never failed us…"

To Cornelia's surprise, Caleb raised a hand for Cornelia to stop.

"I'm not a basket case, Cornelia." He said. "I'm not paralyzed with fear. Everyone else got over it and so did I."

Without a moment's hesitation, Caleb turned back to the training dummy, fist raised.

"Then what is it?" Cornelia asked, stepping in front of the dummy before Caleb could resume his training. "Meridian is safe. Even this Shadow guy is worried about Balislide, not you. Yet this is the longest conversation we've had in weeks. You don't smile anymore, you don't joke anymore, and now you're just spending all your time down here moping."

"I'm not moping." Caleb said with an icy tone. "I'm training. This is a job for me, Cornelia. Killing monsters, protecting Elyon? For me that's a job, not an after school club with your friends."

Cornelia stiffened at these words, but kept her composure.

"What changed?" Cornelia asked calmly. "You're like a completely different person."

Caleb took a deep breath. Images of the fifth chamber flashed through his mind, both the ones Cornelia knew about, and the ones she didn't. He calmed himself and looked Cornelia straight in the eyes.

"I'm the same person I've always been Cornelia. I'm still Caleb."

Cornelia stared back into his eyes and swore there was more to it. There was something behind those eyes, something that wasn't there before. Cornelia just couldn't quite tell what it was. Maybe he was still Caleb, but he wasn't her Caleb.

With reluctance, Cornelia left him to his training; the sound of blows echoing down the hallway. As Cornelia listened, her thoughts turned back to home. Maybe it was worth giving Timothy a call.


	12. Summer Break

Chapter 11

Summer Break

The sun beat down on a beautiful June day, and for once the Guardians were able to enjoy it in peace. All five of them sat under the shade of a large oak tree, which stood in the southeast corner of the Sheffield Institute property. Kids hurried and bustled around them, eagerly making various plans for the coming summer months.

"So," Hay Lin began, "what do you want…"

"Stop." Cornelia said, raising a hand. "I don't want to hear it."

"You don't even know what I was going to say!" Hay Lin protested.

"It doesn't matter, it was a question." Cornelia responded. "And after a week of final exams, I don't want to hear anymore questions. I don't even want to think."

"So I guess this is a bad time to remind you of what we're doing tonight?" Will replied.

Cornelia fixed a withering glare on her friend.

"Five minutes Will, you couldn't give me five minutes?"

"You've had three weeks to relax Cornelia." Taranee replied.

"Three weeks? It's been that long?" Hay Lin said, sitting up.

"Yep. Three weeks since we've last done anything Guardian related." Taranee said. "Three weeks since we last left Earth, three weeks since we last transformed, and three weeks since any on us has used powers."

"It still wasn't relaxing." Cornelia said, crossing her arms. "Three weeks of exams doesn't count as relaxing."

"You're lucky you got anything." Will replied. "We need to thank Orube big time for spending all of this time on Balsilide in our place."

"For the record, I'm still not happy about that." Taranee said coldly.

"You weren't happy about all the extra time you got to study?" Will asked, eyebrow raised.

"It's not the ends I'm worried about, it's the means." Taranee replied. "We took a good person and made her our personal servant."

"She's not a servant, she's a… volunteer." Will replied weakly.

"Also, I question this whole 'good person' thing." Cornelia added. "Orube tried to kill us, remember?"

"To be fair, it wasn't entirely her fault." Taranee countered.

"She tried to kill us." Cornelia repeated. "I don't care whose fault it is, she still did it."

"Good person or not, she does good work." Will said. "She found where the Shadow Walker is hiding. Took her three weeks, but still."

"She found or she thinks she found?" Hay Lin said. "What were her exact words?"

"Thinks." Will admitted, thinking it over. "But it's still the best we got. We're going to Balsilide tonight to try and get the Heart back."

"I bet that's easier then exams, right Irma?" Hay Lin said, nudging her friend.

If Irma heard Hay Lin, which was doubtful, she made no comment. Irma's thoughts had drifted away, following her eyes, which were staring off into the distance.

"Hello, Earth to Irma!" Hay Lin said, snapping her fingers. "Wake up!"

Irma jolted to attention, looking around herself quickly.

"Oh, sorry Hay Lin. My mind was… elsewhere."

"Probably thinking about boys." Will said with a laugh.

"Yeah, boys, that must be it." Irma said absentmindedly.

In reality, boys were far from Irma's thoughts. She was in fact thinking about the math exam she just took, the one she needed to pass in order to pass the course. She had spent all of her free time studying for it, but still wasn't confident in the result. Of course, none of the other girls knew about this. There was no need for them to worry about it too. Irma shook her head to clear her thoughts, and focused on more important things. She had already messed up once on Balsilide three weeks ago, and she was determined she wouldn't do so again. She would have to worry about school later.

Balsilide

The girls' spirits were high as they stepped out of the fold and onto Balsilide. It had been so long since they had been Guardians or off Earth that it felt good to put the wings on at last, and they were all eager to use their powers.

"Here? This thing is hiding here?" Cornelia said, surveying the land around her.

The Guardians, following Orube's directions, had folded into the middle of the large, dark forest that lined the Baldsilidian capital to the north. It stretched for miles, and was largely avoided by the city's citizens, save for a few woodsmen who logged the forest for resources. Even though it was only afternoon, little light made it through the dense canopy of trees, making it a perfect home for a creature of darkness such as the Shadow Walker.

"This is where she said." Will replied, looking around. "She should be here."

"I am." replied a voice from behind the girls.

The five Guardians turned to see Orube walking towards them, but much to their surprise, she was not alone. Behind her were eight followers, the seven members of the R.E.G, and one little girl, Selna.

"What are they doing here?" Will asked, eyeing Balken suspiciously.

"What's she doing here?" Irma asked wide-eyed, staring at Selna.

"You are taking down a dangerous, wanted villain on our world." Balken responded to Will. "It is our job to be here. Something you should have realized from the beginning."

"Look, I appreciate you wanting to help your world and all," Will replied, "but you're best option here is to go home and let us handle this. You're not going to do much but slow us down."

"I always thought you were a young fool, Guardian, but I never thought you were arrogant." Balken replied. "It appears I was wrong."

"I have to agree with Balken." Orube said. "It is their world, they have a right to defend it. Besides, we could use their strength."

"You're siding with them?" Cornelia said, staring at Orube.

"I swore an oath to you." Orube replied. "That means I have to obey you. It doesn't mean I have to agree with you."

For the second time today, Irma had been paying no attention to what her friends were saying. She had been focusing on Selna, who was doing her best to avoid Irma's gaze. After a while, Irma managed to corner the girl in order to talk with her.

"Go away." Selna said bitterly before Irma could begin.

"Look, my name is Irma, and I know what I did and I'm truly sorry." Irma said anyways. "But If I could just explain…"

"I don't want your explanations on why you killed my family." Selna replied bitterly. "I don't want anything to do with any of you.

"Then why are you here?"

"I need to be here when it dies." Selna responded with seriousness beyond her years. "I need to be here when it ends."

"And you let her come?" Will interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at Balken. "You let a 16 year old girl come to a battlefield?"

"We have no right to stop her." Balken replied calmly. "If she wants to come, she can come. Besides, you are no older, correct?"

Will gritted her teeth and swore internally. She wasn't sure how many shots they were going to get at this Shadow Walker, and she didn't want to mess this one up. Plus, she had this nagging feeling that she was forgetting something, but she couldn't think of what it was.

"Alright, let's just do this. Orube, where is this thing?" Will said.

"Just over this hill, there is a cave." Orube replied. "It goes back pretty far. I believe he's hiding in there."

"How do you know that?" Cornelia asked.

"There have been reports of animals going missing in these parts." Orube replied as the group began walking up the hill. "Everything from pets to livestock. And I've staked out this area for the last few days. I think I might have seen it go into this cave."

"Think? Might? Not exactly filling me with confidence here Orube." Cornelia said.

"Have you ever tried looking for a shadow moving in-between shadows?" Orube asked.

"Alright, here's how this is going to go." Will said. "Taranee, Cornelia and Irma are going to enter the cave and try to find the Shadow Walker."

"The three of you alone will not be able to defeat it." Orube warned.

"They're not going to defeat it, they're going to flush it out." Will explained. "Get it to leave the cave, where Hay Lin and I will be waiting. I think I can trap it if I throw up a box of energy from the Heart around it. At the very least, it's worth a shot."

"And what about us?" Syln, the archer for the R.E.G asked. "What do we do?"

"Whatever you feel like." Will replied. "I suggest you split yourselves among our two teams. Some people go in the cave with Taranee and the others, and the rest of you stay out here and help with the capture."

"And what if we disagree with this plan?" Balken asked.

"You won't, because it's a good one and you know it." Will said with a smile.

Balken opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself, giving Will only a sharp glare. The group approached the entrance to the cave silently, and moved themselves into position. Balken, accompanied by the brothers, Hoth and Troth, entered the cave with Taranee, Cornelia and Irma. The rest, including Will and the Heart, stayed outside waiting. With a wave from Irma, the makeshift group of six entered the cave. Taranee made sure to light a small fire with her hands, giving off just enough light to see in an otherwise pitch-black cavern.

"Okay," Taranee whispered, "our first order of business is to…"

"Hold on a second." Balken interrupted, being careful to keep his voice lowered. "Why do you get command?"

"When Will's not here, leadership just kinda defaults to Taranee." Cornelia replied softly.

"I have more military experience." Balken countered. "I have leadership training…"

"Balken, can we not do this now?" Taranee said, exasperated.

"I know this area better." Balken continued, ignoring Taranee.

"Look, all I was going to say is that we need to find the Shadow Walker first." Taranee said. "Can't we at least agree on…"

Suddenly, two black shapes hit Taranee and Balken hard, sending them flying backwards into the hard stone wall. The pair was stunned, but for the most part unhurt.

"Hey Taranee," Irma whispered as she saw the twin red eyes appear in front of her, "I think we found him."


	13. Acceptable Losses

Chapter 12

Acceptable Losses

Taranee sat on the cold, damp ground of the Balsilidian cave, and stared up at the creature in front of her. Irma and Cornelia were ready to fight, and Hoth and Troth to their credit, didn't seen to be backing down either. Taranee gave Balken a quick check to confirm that the R.E.G leader wasn't injured, and then got to her feet. The Shadow Walker had surprised them. He had created a trap and sprung it. Now it was time for them to return the favor.

Taranee lit and hurled a fireball at the Shadow Walker, but it was not meant to hurt. Instead, it spread out, sending light throughout the cave, and allowing Cornelia to begin her part of the plan.

"Everybody, move!" Cornelia shouted.

The group followed her instructions, with Hoth and Troth helping their leader, and Irma bringing up the rear. Once Cornelia was sure everyone had gone, and she was alone with the Shadow Walker, she began to work.

"You dare come to my home again?" The Shadow Walker shouted at the Guardian. "Now you will pay for your transgression!"

Cornelia did not answer. She was too busy concentrating. It wasn't until the Shadow Walker heard the rumble behind him that he realized what it was she was concentrating on. The Shadow Walker turned to find the cave collapsing behind him. He turned back to Cornelia, who, satisfied with her work, flashed a smile and bolted for the exit. The Shadow Walker grimaced, and was about to follow when he stopped. Quickly phasing through falling boulders, the Shadow Walker moved through the cave until he reached a hollow in the stone wall, in which a small jewel lay. The hollow was mostly undamaged, although it was clear that it would not stay like that for long. Quickly, he grabbed the Heart of Balsilide and held it carefully before heading for the exit. Since he could not phase the Heart with his body, the Shadow Walker had to be very careful to protect the fragile jewel from falling rocks.

Will and Hay Lin waited impatiently at the exit of the cave. It was not the first time they had split up, and the others had only been gone for a few minutes, but it was still making Will uneasy. She suspected it had something to do with the four members of the R.E.G staring at her suspiciously. She reminded herself that they too were the good guys, and tried to calm herself. She was just beginning to succeed when Taranee and the others came flying out of the cave entrance.

"What happened?" Will asked nervously, grabbing the Heart tightly.

Taranee gave Will a thumbs up, then began coughing dust out of her lungs, something the others began doing as well. Between Taranee and the others catching their breath, and Will and Hay Lin being concerned with this, no one was quite ready when the Shadow Walker burst out of the cave mere seconds before it collapsed.

"Watch out!" Slyn shouted, grabbing his bow, but it was too late.

The Shadow Walker, eyes blazing, began disarming the members of the R.E.G one by one. Will, trying to be silent, moved into position, when the Shadow Walker caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye. Sensing what she was going to do, The Shadow Walker moved away just as the first cage went up. Desperate, Will created cage after cage, but the Shadow Walker was too quick, and avoided all of them. The display of pink flashes combined with black blurs was too much for Hay Lin. She simply stared at the battle going on instead of being alert, and she paid for it. Quicker then anyone could see, the Shadow Walker appeared in front of Hay Lin, one wispy, yet very solid hand wrapped around the girls neck.

"If you want to imprison me, you'll have to trap her too." The Shadow Walker said menacingly. "Something I don't think either of you want."

Will analyzed the situation carefully. The rest of her team, as well as the R.E.G were back to full fighting capacity, but it wouldn't help if the Shadow Walker had control of Hay Lin. The air Guardian was struggling bravely, but it was for naught. When he wanted them to be, the Shadow Walker could make his hands pretty strong. And that's when Will noticed the Shadow Walker's left hand, the one by his side. Will hadn't noticed it before, but it was solid as well. It was holding something, and Will was pretty sure she knew what it was.

"I don't want you…" Will said with a smile. "I want it."

With a flick of her wrist, Will created a small cage around the Shadow Walker's left hand. The solid hand was trapped in the cage, and was separated from the rest of the intangible arm. The Shadow Walker screamed in pain, bringing both hands to his face, releasing Hay Lin in the process. As the Shadow Walker began constructing a new hand, the one in the cage began to disappear, until all that remained imprisoned was a small jewel. Will removed the cage, and the Heart of Balsilide fell into the waiting hands of Cornelia.

"Just how we planned it, right Will?" Hay Lin said, catching her breath.

"Something like that." Will replied with a smile.

"You think you've won?" the Shadow Walker said, cradling his newly formed left hand close to his chest.

"Um, yeah, pretty much." Irma replied. "The combined force of the Guardians and Balsilide's finest. Even you can't beat all of that."

As if to prove Irma's point, the R.E.G raised their weapons at the Shadow Walker in unison, tightening the circle as they did so.

"Perhaps." The Shadow Walker said, "but we will not find out today."

Phasing through Will as he left, the Shadow Walker bolted from the group before Will could stop him with a cage, and disappeared into the darkness. Satisfied with how the Shadow Walker had been dealt with, Will knew the night was far from over. The jewel in Cornelia's hand wasn't working yet, but it still had the power to cause a lot of trouble. To her surprise though, it wasn't Balken who was first to talk for the Balsilidians.

"You let it get away? Why didn't you finish it off?" Selna said, glaring at the Guardians.

Taranee turned a raised eyebrow towards the young girl.

"Look, I don't want to be rude kid, but it's not as simple as that." she said.

"One of you" Selna said, eyeing Irma, "let that thing kill my family. And now, with a perfect opportunity to make it pay, you let it escape! Seems pretty simple to me."

Irma turned away, her hands clenching into fists. Hay Lin put a hand on her friends shoulder, but Irma shrugged it away.

"We got what we came for." Will said in what she hoped was a soothing voice. "We weren't prepared for an all out fight with the Shadow Walker, and we didn't need to start one."

Selna made it quite clear that she was not satisfied with this answer, and stood behind Balken.

"The girl raises a valid point." Balken said in what Taranee noticed was a much gentler voice then the one he had used in the cave. "You could have trapped it. We might have been able to end all of this."

Will frowned but remained silent. There was no reason she should be bothered by Selna's dislike of the Guardians, she knew this. The girl had virtually no role to play in the upcoming battles, and it wasn't as if everybody in the universe was going to be best friends with the Guardians anyways. Yet the way Selna stayed close to Balken and the way she glared at Irma made Will more then a little frustrated. And that was before Balken made his move.

"Now," Balken said casually, "give us the Heart and we'll be on our way."

"What?" Cornelia said. "Give you the Heart? Why would we do that?"

"Because it is rightfully ours." Balken replied, his calmness beginning to break. "It is the Heart of Balsilide, and that is where it belongs."

"Sorry Balken, but this goes way past Balsilide. The fate of the universe may rest with that Heart." Will replied.

"Really? The fate of the universe?" Balken said, "Why would the Heart of Balsilide contain the fate of the universe? Can you explain what you meant?"

"No." Will said reluctantly.

The fact that the Guardians were potentially destroyers of the universe was something Will didn't really like revealing to a whole lot of people, and definitely not to Balken.

"Well, if you can't explain, then I guess you'll have no problem with leaving the Heart here." Balken said smugly.

"This isn't a debate, Balken." Will said. "We need this Heart. We are taking it back to Kandrakar, and that is not up for discussion."

Then, something happened that took all of the girls off guard. Will's phone rang. Everybody seemed to pause for a second as the chime split the air.

"Um, Will? Did you forget to turn your phone off?" Hay Lin asked.

"No. Definitely not." Will replied. "Which makes this more unusual then it already is."

The phone continued to ring.

"Speaking of unusual," Irma said, "I'm scared to ask, but where is your phone? We clearly don't have pockets in these costumes."

"In my civvies I guess." Will replied. "I always wondered what happened to our human stuff when we transformed. I guess now we know."

"So, are you going to transform back and answer it?" Cornelia asked.

The phone rang once more.

"Do I have to?"

"I don't really see how you have a choice."

Will sighed and transformed back into human form, shooting the R.E.G a glare as they snickered at her predicament. Reaching into her jeans pocket, she pulled out her ringing phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Will." The familiar voice replied back.

"Yan Lin? What are you doing calling me?"

"What, just because I'm a grandma means I can't have a cell phone?"

"No, I mean… just, what do you want?"

"You have to give the Heart back to Balsilide." Yan Lin said.

"What?" Will shouted as quietly as she could, not wanting the R.E.G to hear. "Why?"

"Because we have no right to take it." Yan Lin explained. "The Heart belongs to their world, and they have done nothing to warrant us taking it from them."

"But… you're Kandrakar! Can't you just do whatever you want?" Will asked.

"No, we can't." Yan Lin said with a smile. "The key is provocation. With proper provocation, with reason to act, Kandrakar is the greatest power in the universe. But if we do not have a reason to act, and we have no such reason here, then we are powerless. I'm sorry, but those are the rules."

"Seems like pretty stupid rules to me." Will said.

"Those 'stupid rules' are the only thing stopping Kandrakar from ruling the universe, and then we would be no different then Phobos, or any other petty tyrant." Yan Lin explained. "Besides, the Heart is powerless. It would do us no good anyways. Not yet."

As Yan Lin and Will continued their discussion, Irma began rubbing her arm carefully. A piece of rock had grazed her as she was leaving the cave, and a cut ran down the length of her forearm. Small drops of blood dripped out of the wound.

"Are you alright?" Hay Lin said, inspecting Irma's arm.

"Yeah, just a flesh wound." Irma replied. "Nothing serious."

"Huh, I bet you wish Walli was here." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"What?"

"You know, so he could see how courageous you were in battle." Hay Lin said. "I bet he could kiss it and make it better."

"What are you rambling about, girl?" Irma asked, giving her friend a strange look.

"Oh, come on!" Hay Lin said. "It's obvious you've got a thing for him."

"What, I can't have a friend who happens to be a guy?" Irma said. "I'm not a little girl anymore Hay Lin, and I don't have silly crushes."

"You sure?" Hay Lin asked. "Just friends?"

"Yeah, just friends. That's all." Irma said.

Hay Lin walked off, seemingly satisfied. Once her friend had left, Irma's trademark smile disappeared, replaced with a pained grimace.

"Friends." She whispered to herself. "Because that's the best a girl like me could ever hope to be."

"Alright!" Will said, hanging up the phone and approaching Balken. "I've decided to let you keep the Heart."

Taranee opened her mouth to argue, but closed it just as quickly. She had known Will long enough to trust her. If she was giving them the Heart, it was for a good reason.

"But, Kandrakar asks that you allow them to borrow it once it has regained its powers. For… research purposes." Will continued.

"Research? Why? It's just like any other Heart, right?" Balken countered.

"It's not often a Heart completely loses its power. Kandrakar would like to see what effects there were." Will said, lying about Kandrakar's true intentions.

"It is wise not to go against Kandrakar's wishes." Orube added.

"Very well." Balken said grudgingly. "We accept to these terms, barring any major changes to the situation as time goes on."

"Good enough for me." Will said.

The two leaders shook hands, and headed for home. None of the girls could say they were happy with the way things had gone, but the Shadow Walker had been driven off, the Heart was safe, and no one else got hurt. The girls had a feeling that that was about as good as it was going to get.


	14. Signs of Affection

Chapter 13

Signs of Affection

Heatherfield

Sometimes, Will could tell exactly what type of day it was going to be just from the first few minutes of it. Sometimes it was the feel of the air, or the way she rolled out of bed that let her know whether the day was going to be good, or bad. Other times, it was less subtle. Sometimes, like today, it was as loud and as obvious as a ringing phone.

"Hello?" Will said, answering her phone, only half awake.

"Harding Park, twenty minutes." Matt's voice said from the other end of the line.

Will wasn't sure how to respond to that, but it didn't matter because Matt had already hung up. Will put down the phone with a sigh. She knew exactly why Matt wanted to meet. She had figured it out just minutes after returning home from Balsilide the previous night. But this knowledge did little to comfort her as she got dressed and exited her room.

Balsilide

Balken had done a lot of things as leader of the R.E.G, but tucking a young girl into bed was a first. Selna, the girl in question, played her part by looking up at Balken with big black eyes, and a stern look on her face.

"But how can you be sure?" she asked, maintaining the look.

"The Shadow Walker will not hurt you." Balken said. "He was after the Heart, not you. Since you no longer have the Heart, there is no reason for him to come after you."

The look on Selna's face was unchanging, making it clear that she was not satisfied by that result. With a sigh, Balken tucked in the last sheet and stood up.

"There will be two of the finest guards outside your door for the length of the night. Two more will be positioned at both entrances of this hallway, and the castle as a whole is the most well protected building in the city. And, you are safe because it is my job to protect you, and I take my job very seriously."

"Yeah, you do, don't you?" Selna said with a smile, settling comfortably in her bed. "Hey Balken?"

"Yes, little one?"

"Thanks. You know, for keeping me safe from the Shadow Walker and the Guardians."

"You are very welcome."

Even the normally stoic Balken could not help but return the little girl's smile. He left the room, silently closing the door behind him, and found himself face to face with Rikar, the President of Balsilide.

"Good evening Mr. President." Balken said, saluting his leader.

"Good evening Balken," Rikar replied. "I trust everything is going according to plan with our little friend here?"

"Yes sir, she's quite comfortable. Quite thankful too." Balken replied.

"Excellent." Rikar replied with a smile. "A story like hers will play very well with the voters, especially the part where we saved her from certain death. Make sure she is still around and willing to tell it! At least until election time. Then do with her what you will."

Balken felt his neck twitch, but quickly repressed the reflex. Whether or not he agreed with Rikar was not important. Rikar was his President, and he was under oath to serve his President no matter what.

Balken was about to excuse himself when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. In the fading sunlight, Balken could make out a pillar of red smoke, billowing up from the castle courtyard. Smoke was commonly used by the R.E.G when a message was needed to be sent quickly. White smoke was a medical emergency, black smoke was an armed intruder, and red smoke…

"I've never seen red smoke before." Rikar said, looking down at the courtyard. "What does it mean?"

"Sir, I need you to go back to your room." Balken said, drawing his sword. "Don't come out until a member of the R.E.G tells you it's clear."

Balken didn't wait to hear Rikar's protests. His mind was too focused on the fight awaiting him.

Heatherfield

"So, I was tied to the sun?"

Eric and Hay Lin sat across from each other at one of the Silver Dragons many empty tables. The restaurant didn't officially open for another hour, but Hay Lin always managed to get a table beforehand. One of the perks of a restaurant owned by your parents. Eric sat with a quizzical look on his face, trying to absorb the information being presented to him.

"Not the sun, just a sun. A fake one." Hay Lin explained.

"Is that why I had a sunburn in October?" Eric asked. "My dad was really confused about that."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Hay Lin said. "But hey, it's better then being the mind slave of some sorcerer for, like, eternity."

"Exactly, so I should be thanking you." Eric said, sipping his tea as if this was the most natural conversation in the world. "And Matt knows about this too?"

"Yep. He figured it out on accident. That was a fun day." Hay Lin replied.

"And that Caleb guy you were talking about the other day? He's Cornelia's boyfriend?" Eric asked.

"Uh huh." Hay Lin said, and then thought about it. "At least I hope…"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, there was this thing, and they haven't talked much since…" Hay Lin noticed the confused look on Eric's face. "Oh, it's complicated. I'll explain it later."

"Yeah, I guess this is enough for one day." Eric said, checking his watch. "But I want to learn everything about these other worlds!"

"You're taking all this pretty well." Hay Lin said with a smile. "You don't even seem worried about my bruises."

Eric just narrowly avoided doing a spit take with his tea.

"You have bruises?" he yelled, causing the kitchen staff to glance his way suspiciously. "Why do you have bruises? How did you get bruises?"

Hay Lin mentally cursed herself. She had gotten two small bruises on her neck from where the Shadow Walker had grabbed her. With reluctance, she tilted her head back so Eric could get a closer look. Out of the bottom of her vision, she could see the expected fear in Eric's eyes, but she also saw something else too.

"What happened?" Eric asked, wide eyed.

Hay Lin dutifully told Eric of the events that took place on Balsilide. As she did so, she realized that what she saw in his eyes was excitement. He was genuinely interested in her story and her second life.

"You're really okay with this?" Hay Lin said once she was done. "You're fine with the things I do?"

"Hay Lin, you risk your life everyday fighting monsters, and who knows what else, just to keep the world save." Eric said solemnly. "I wouldn't be much of a friend… if I didn't think that was the coolest thing ever!"

"Really?" Hay Lin said with a smile.

"Of course!" Eric replied. "It's like right out of a comic book, or a cartoon!"

Hay Lin didn't say anything. She didn't need too. She could just sit back, and enjoy one of the happiest moments of her life.

Balsilide

The Shadow Walker wasn't interested in strategy this night. He wasn't interested in subtlety, secrecy or subterfuge. The Heart that it needed so badly was inside this castle, and it would retrieve that Heart, even if he had to tear down every brick to do so.

The R.E.G, to their credit, were quick to respond. Only seconds after the Shadow Walker burst through the front gate, he found himself face to face with the Elite Guard. Also standing beside Balken was Orube, there at the behalf of the Guardians. And the R.E.G was not only quick, it was prepared.

With a signal from Balken, a net was released from the rafters, landing squarely on top of the Shadow Walker. The net had been magically treated by Grimm, and was inescapable, even for someone as elusive as the Shadow Walker. As soon as this was discovered, however, and before the R.E.G could move in, the Shadow Walker slipped through the floorboards, heading downstairs.

The R.E.G had anticipated this, and Laris and Syln were waiting and ready. Using glow stones mined from the Mountain of Nether, they lit up the hallway with pure light. The two R.E.G members wore darkened glasses, but the Shadow Walker did not. The light burned the creature's eyes, causing him to collapse to the ground. Trying desperately to push through the pain, the Shadow Walker panicked, extending portions of himself at incredible speeds in all directions. The hallway collapsed, destroying the glow stone, and only the quick reflexes and remarkable strength of Laris saved them both from being crushed. She supported the weight of the rubble on her back, covering Syln while the Shadow Walker phased through, continuing down the hallway.

Heatherfield

Will knew trouble when she saw it, and now she was looking it square in the face. Sure, she thought it was a gorgeous, handsome face, but the look in Matt's eyes told Will everything she needed to know. Her heart sank and she tried desperately to calm herself before approaching her boyfriend.

"So, did you have an interesting night last night?" Matt asked.

"Uh, well, it had its moments." Will said, trying to sound casual.

"That's nice." Matt said in a sickly sweet tone. "I wouldn't know, because once again you're off fighting the deadliest creature in the universe, and I'm sitting at home completely oblivious!"

"Matt, I know you're upset…"

"Really, what was your first clue?" Matt yelled.

Will jumped at the sharpness in Matt's voice. There was no playing her way out of this one. Matt truly was angry, and she was worried.

"What is it Will?" Matt continued. "Why is it that every time you have an adventure, I have to hear about it the next morning from Cornelia?"

"Matt, I just forgot, I swear!" Will said. "Between the girls, Balsilide, Meridian, school, I have so many things to think about that calling you just slipped my mind. Honest!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Matt replied.

"Don't you trust me?" Will said.

Matt tightened his jaw and fixed Will with a stare that seemed to eat into her soul.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you just forgot." Matt said coldly.

Will was confident she just forgot. She was confident that there was nothing else to it, and that she did want Matt on her missions. She was confident, but she couldn't be sure. With pain and regret she looked away.

"You don't respect me, Will." Matt said. "Not as a partner, not as a teammate, and certainly not as a boyfriend! I spent all last night terrified because I didn't know where you were, what you were doing or if you were alright! I can't just be the guy you run back to after everything's okay. I can't take it anymore. I need to be part of your life!"

"Matt, your know you're more important to me then anything else…"

"No, Will, I don't know that, not anymore. Now I just feel as if I'm something to use whenever you feel like it."

Will shriveled under Matt's words. She didn't know what to do or what to say. She could feel her world changing around her, and she didn't know how to stop it.

"Matt, I swear to you, next time, I'll try…"

"There is no try Will, not this time. I'm either in your life…"

Matt slammed his hands into his pockets and began walking away.

"…Or I'm out of it."

Will could do nothing but watch Matt walk away, with the summer sun suddenly not feeling quite so warm.

Balsilide

The Shadow Walker was nothing if not diligent. Ever since he had lost control of the Heart, he had tracked its every move. He knew exactly who had moved it, and most importantly where. He also knew the R.E.G and Orube were already recovering from their earlier attempt to stop him, and would soon be right behind him.

He took a quick look at the last obstacle in front of him. A wall of stone was all that stood between him and the Heart of Balsilide. With a deep breath, the Shadow Walker stepped forward, through the wall, disappearing from view.


	15. Return to Sender

Chapter 14

Return to Sender

Heatherfield

Cornelia was having a great day. School was over, summer had begun, and she was enjoying a great dinner with friends. The four people in front of her, however, were not the smiling faces she usually ate with. This group was not lead by Will, but instead by Timothy Derringer, son of wealthy industrialist George Derringer, and who was quickly becoming close friends with Cornelia. The two had known each other for only a month, but Cornelia already considered Timothy her best non-Guardian friend. She had forgotten how good it was to talk about something ordinary with people. School, family, even the weather were better alternatives then the Shadow Walker or Kandrakar. Timothy, for his part, had no problem keeping his sights on Cornelia.

Meals with her new friends had quite a few perks. They ate only at the finest restaurants, and were treated to the finest service. Before she had met the Guardians, Cornelia had lived her life in this type of luxury, and she had to admit, it felt good to be back. It should have been perfect, and yet behind everything was this flash of guilt, one she couldn't seem to get rid of. It wasn't right, her mind told her. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. This wasn't who it was supposed to be. She had tired to keep these doubts hidden, but Timothy made it clear that she had failed.

"Is everything alright, Cornelia?" The young boy asked, sliding closer to Cornelia. "You seem rather distant today."

"Oh, just thinking." Cornelia replied absentmindedly.

"Nothing wrong with thinking." Timothy said with a charming smile. "Anything you want to tell me about."

"No, definitely not." Cornelia said with a laugh, but Timothy's face went serious.

"Cornelia, I hope that we can trust each other with anything." Timothy said solemnly.

Timothy reached over and gently placed his hand on Cornelia's. Another wave of guilt, the biggest yet.

"We can, of course we can." Cornelia said, quickly but politely pulling away her hand. "It's nothing big, don't worry about it."

"As you wish." Timothy said with a smile, retreating for now.

Cornelia laughed at herself internally. 'Nothing big'. She didn't believe it for a second. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. She wasn't doing anything wrong here, she told her conscience. She wasn't going out with Timothy, she was going out with friends. Besides, she hadn't spoken to Caleb in a month, and the last thing he said to her was that they weren't right for each other. She should just relax, and enjoy the meal. And yet, there was that feeling again…

Balsilide

The Shadow Walker fazed effortlessly through the lone wall that separated him the Heart of Balsilide, but what he found on the other side was not what he expected. The world around him was red. In whatever direction he looked, the Shadow Walker found nothing but pure red. It took him a few moments to comprehend his situation. The R.E.G, in their desperation to protect the Heart, must have filled the room with what appeared to be lava. In his intangible form, the Shadow Walker was not affected, and could not feel the heat, and was therefore safe. He quickly moved to the center of the room, where he found the Heart encased safely behind fireproof glass. If the Shadow Walker tried to break the glass, not only would his hand burn, but the Heart would likely be destroyed.

The Shadow Walker pondered for a few moments on his situation, then calmly made his way back out the way he had entered. He was not surprised to find the R.E.G waiting for him, weapons raised. He paid them no heed, as he was still intangible and therefore could not be harmed. Balken was swinging desperately at the Shadow Walker with no avail, when he saw the Shadow Walker raise his fist. At first Balken tried to protect himself, until he realized that he was not the Shadow Walker's target.

"Back! Everybody back!" He shouted, sprinting away from the Shadow Walker.

The Shadow Walker shattered the wall with a single blow, causing molten rock to flow down the hallway. The Shadow Walker stayed intangible and was unaffected, but the R.E.G, along with Orube, did not have that luxury. Frustrated, Balken led his team in a retreat.

"Grimm, cool it down!" Balken barked at his magician.

"As you command, but it might be some time before…"

"Just do it!"

Grimm began but it was clear that his work was in vain. The Shadow Walker had disappeared inside the Heart room, which was now quickly empting of lava. The top of the Heart was just barely peaking above the lava level, and the Shadow Walker eyed it with glee. Carefully, he removed the protective glass casing, acting quickly to avoid getting burned by the surrounding heat. Once done, he cradled the jewel in his hands gleefully. Balken and Orube could only watch as the Shadow Walker made his way through the outer castle walls, and in the night, Heart in hand.

Heatherfield

Irma was becoming quite good at washing dishes, and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. On one hand, a skill was a skill, but it was also a reminder of the countless hours she had spent in front of this sink. The menial labor did give her a chance to think, but while normally she enjoyed such chances, she was finding it harder and harder to conjure up pleasant thoughts. Between unknown exam marks, her parents, or Selna, she'd rather not think at all.

"Back in the clouds, sky-girl?" Her co-worker Josh asked, handing her another plate. "What's in your head today?"

"It's hard to explain." Irma replied, putting a smile on her face.

"Try me."

Irma thought about it for a second, wondering if there was a way she could explain.

"Well, I'm writing a story." she lied.

"A story? I didn't know you were a writer." Josh replied.

"It's not professional or anything, just for fun." Irma quickly said, adding to her lie. "Anyways, it's about these five girls, who can control the elements and travel to other worlds to fight monsters."

"Sounds like a bad Sailor Moon rip-off." Josh said frowning.

"It is not!" Irma protested. "It's got it's own unique story, the characters are better and… you know what, never mind."

"No, no, I'm sorry, that was insensitive." Josh said genuinely. "Please, I'm interested. Continue. Who are they fighting?"

"Well, it's this Shadow like creature called the Shadow Walker."

"It's a walking shadow called the Shadow Walker? Bit on the nose, don't you think?"

Irma glared at Josh.

"Right, right, sorry. Keep going." Josh said quickly

"The Shadow Walker can turn intangible, which means things can go through him…"

"I know what intangible means." Josh interrupted again.

"Right. Sorry."

"So how do the girls in your story defeat this creature?" Josh asked.

"That's the problem, I don't know how we… I mean they defeat him." Irma said gloomily.

"Well, if you're asking my advice…"

"I am."

"Then I would suggest that there are things that can harm someone without using physical force." Josh said.

"Like what?" Irma asked. "Think we should call him names?"

"Not quite." Josh replied with a smile. "But his other senses, his eyes and his ears still work, don't they?"

"Light and sound!" Irma said excitedly. "We could blind him, or stun him with loud noises! It might just turn him solid long enough to trap him! You're brilliant!"

"It's been said. And by we, you of course mean the girls in your story." Josh said eyebrow raised.

"Of course." Irma said, with a smile. The first genuine smile she'd had for a long time.

Balsilide

"After him!"

The R.E.G moved quickly at the sound of Balken's voice. Only one person, Orube, did not move.

"If you do not plan on helping apprehend the Shadow Walker, then I suggest you stay out of the way of those who do, foreigner." Balken said through gritted teeth.

"I wish to stop that creature as much as any of you." Orube replied calmly. "Which is why I'm talking to you."

"Talking will not bring that monster down." Balken said.

"And seven men with swords will?" Orube replied. "Your best defenses barely slowed him down."

"Hastily built defenses." Balken said.

"Be that as it may, even with an army, you won't be able to touch him." Orube countered

"What do you propose then?" Balken snarled.

"Call the Guardians."

"Never."

"I know you don't trust them, or even like them, but they can help." Orube said. "Whether you admit it or not, you need them."

"What makes you think I would ever call upon those girls for help?" Balken snapped.

"Because you're a soldier." Orube replied. "And a good one at that. And because no matter who the enemy, or who the allies, the only thing you care about is protecting this city and the people in it. And you know that this city is safer when the Guardians walk its streets."

Balken glared at the warrior woman, but said nothing, so Orube continued.

"If you truly think you can defeat the Shadow Walker without the Guardians, then by all means, go ahead. But if you value your city more then your pride, you'll make this call."

Heatherfield

Will didn't eat much at dinner. Nor did she say much, or do much. Naturally, this made Susan Vandom concerned for her daughter, but Will had earned the benefit of the doubt from her mother. Thanks in large part to Orube, Will had managed to study hard the past few weeks, and she had come home confident about all of her exams, a feeling Dean Collins could justify. She had also made a concerted effort to spend more time with her mother, and for once Will's home life was safe and secure. This meant that her mother didn't bother Will much this night, which only gave Will more time to dwell on her thoughts.

Matt, the Shadow Walker, Balken, and Orube. Hundreds of names, ideas, thoughts and emotions raced around Will head like a cerebral tornado as she lay in bed. As soon as Will thought she had focused on one problem, another pushed it out of the way. She was both relieved and concerned when her ringing phone jolted her back to reality. The phone was Cornelia's old one, used to replace the one that Will had loaned to Orube on Balsilide.

"Hey Taranee, what's up?" Will answered, recognizing the number. As soon as her friend began talking, Will bolted upright. "What? When? Oh no. They do want our help? About time. Yeah, round up the others, guess we better go. Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Just… don't worry about it. Yeah, see you soon. Bye."

Will allowed herself a few moments to slump back in bed. Sometimes, Will could tell exactly what type of day it was going to be just from a few minutes of it. Sometimes it was the feel of the air, or the way she rolled out of bed that let her know whether it the day was going to be good or bad. Other times, it was less subtle. The Heart of Balsilide was gone, stolen by the Shadow Walker. No doubt about it, today was not a good day.


	16. Loud and Proud

Chapter 15

Loud and Proud

Irma was on her way home from work when her cell rang. She frowned, cursing her luck, and answered it.

"Don't say it. Don't you say it." Irma said into the receiver.

"We need to go to Balsilide." Came Will's reply.

"And, you said it." Irma said with a groan.

Irma was tired, even more so then usual. She had done a long night's work at _Moxie's_, and all she wanted to do was fall into bed. Yet there was a part of her that was excited for the opportunity.

"Sorry Irma, did you just get off work?" Will said apologetically

"Yep, but don't worry about it." Irma replied. "I'll be there soon, but were going to need to pick up a few things before we go."

"Huh? I mean there's something, or someone, I need to get, but what are you talking about?" Will said.

Irma just smiled.

Balsilide

When the Guardians got to Balsilide, twenty minutes later, they were met by the less then friendly sight of the R.E.G and Balken, standing with his arms crossed and a sour expression on his face. Will had no problem returning the expression with one of her own.

"What have you done this time Balken?" she asked with just the hint of smugness.

"Now is not the time to test my patience, Guardian." Balken replied bitterly. "I see you've grown in numbers."

Standing tall to the left of Will stood Matt, in full Shagon form. His arms were crossed and his featureless mask gave no hint about how he felt.

"Well, we had to call in back-up when we heard you had lost the Heart." Will said.

"It wasn't lost, it was stolen. By powers beyond our control" Balken replied through gritted teeth. It was then he noticed the large knapsacks that each of the Guardians carried with them. "You do realize this isn't a camping trip."

"We're here to stop the Shadow Walker, same as you. Difference is, we came prepared." Will replied. Then it was her turn to notice that the R.E.G had brought something as well.

"Selna? She's still here?" Will exclaimed, pointing at the girl. "Don't you have someplace you can keep her safe?"

"My place is here!" Selna replied. "This battle is mine as much as it is yours, perhaps more so!"

Will wanted to argue, but knew it was a fight she would not win. They had bigger things to worry about. Watching Orube step to the front of the R.E.G confirmed that.

"Guardians, I urged Balken to call you here because you can help find the Shadow Walker, not so you could argue." Orube said. "Each second we waste is one more the Shadow Walker uses to get away."

The Guardians, sensing the truth in Orube's words, put down their knapsacks and got to work. Finding the Shadow Walker was going to be tough work, but the Guardians unique abilities made the task not impossible. Taranee focused her mind on the world around her, trying to pick up any heat signatures that could be the Shadow Walker. Hay Lin tried to feel any disturbances in the air, Cornelia listened to the dirt, trying to hear the Shadow Walker move, and Irma…

"Well, I'm useless. Again." Irma said, crossing her arms.

"Join the club." Matt replied.

"Irma, you've done more then enough already." Will said, eyeing the knapsacks. "And as for you Matt, you're not allowed to complain now that you finally get to see some action."

"One time just standing around does not make up for months of neglect." Matt said, eyeing his surroundings. "But, I'll admit, it's a start."

Will could not help but smile, once more feeling smug.

"Got something!" Hay Lin said. "Big and fast and heading, um, north? West? I don't know, that way!"

Hay Lin pointed off to the distance, and Taranee face that direction.

"Focusing in now." The Fire Guardian said, closing her eyes. "Give me a second…"

"That was quick." Balken said, still unimpressed. "Why couldn't you have done that when we were looking for the Shadow Walker the first time?"

Will glared at Balken but said nothing. How could she, he was right. They were all grateful for the time they had on Earth, but Will couldn't help but feel that they would have been much more useful on Balsilide.

"Got a heat signature, too big for any woodland creature!" Taranee said excitedly.

"Good enough for me, let's move!" Will said, taking off.

Cornelia whipped up a floating platform underneath the R.E.G and the group was off in pursuit.

* * *

The Shadow Walker moved quickly through the trees, grasping the Heart tightly in his hands. He knew his previous hideout had been compromised, and that he would have to find one on the fly. He had spent the previous day tracking the Heart back to the Palace, and had to sacrifice any thoughts of what he would do with his escape. He wasn't overly worried, however, as he assumed there was no way for the R.E.G to either find him or catch up to him. So it was to his great surprise that Balken dropped through the trees in front of him.

"How?" The Shadow Walker asked, analyzing his opponent.

"This is my world, monster, there is no where you can hide." Balken said, drawing his sword.

"Wrong on both accounts." The Shadow Walker replied.

The creature watched carefully as the rest of the R.E.G dropped in around him, each with their weapon drawn. An ordinary man would be terrified to be surrounded by Balsilides' finest, but the Shadow Walker was no man, and he was far from ordinary. He simply smiled at the surrounding squad.

"Your Hubris defines you and betrays you." The Shadow Walker said. "Even with the so-called Guardians, you have little chance of defeating me. Alone, you have none."

"We've faced worse odds and won." Balken replied.

The R.E.G started their attack with a precision and efficiency that could not be found on any other world. First, the archer Syln fired a volley of arrows at the Shadow Walker. The creature merely went intangible, and let the arrows fall through him, but it distracted him enough for Grimm to make his move. The Magician fired a bolt of lighting from his gauntlets that seemed to affect even the Shadow Walker. The bolt was the product of a weeks worth of studying and practicing, and it stunned the creature. It for only a second, but it was enough to allow Laris to tackle the Shadow Walker to the ground. Just as quickly as Laris had attacked, she rolled off of the Shadow Walker. For a brief moment, the Shadow Walker lay on the ground, solid, dazed, and defenseless. With all the speed they could muster, the R.E.G leapt at the Shadow Walker. Swords, axes and fists all cut through the air, landing on the Shadow Walker with devastating force. Half a second too late. The Shadow Walker had regained his senses just in time to turn intangible before the attacks landed. As soon as he was confident he was still alive, the Shadow Walker leapt up and began his assault. With dizzying precision, he disarmed and neutralized each member of the R.E.G, one by one. His shadowy limbs were simply a blur to the members of the R.E.G, which they saw mere moments before being knocked to the ground. Within seconds, the R.E.G lay at the Shadow Walkers feet, defeated.

"Did you really think you were a match for me?" The Shadow Walker said.

"No, not really." Came a voice from above.

The Shadow Walker spun to see Will hovering over him. The Shadow Walker noticed the girl was wearing dark sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night, but he could make little of it before she began to speak.

"Let there be light!" Will said, snapping her fingers.

On her cue, the forest was flooded by hundreds of bright, blinking lights, all aimed at the Shadow Walker. The Shadow Walker covered his eyes, disoriented and stunned by the bright light.

"You've tried this before." The Shadow Walker said, preparing to destroy the lights.

"Let there be sound!" Will said, ignoring the Shadow Walker.

Slowly, a low humming noise could be heard, steadily growing. The ground began to shake with noise, and for the first time, illuminated in the forest and surround by Matt and the Guardians, the Shadow Walker knew fear. Will simply smiled down.

"Let there be rock!"

Suddenly, 150 decibels, louder then a jet engine, of the loudest Kamilla song Irma knew roared through the forest, crashing down upon the Shadow Walker. The creature covered his ears and screamed, and only the industrial strength earplugs worn by each member of the Guardians and the R.E.G kept them from doing the same. Between the light and the sound, the Shadow Walker was left as little more then a quivering mess on the forest floor. As soon as the Shadow Walker was on the ground, Will put an energy cage around him, trapping the creature.

"_Pretty sweet idea." _Taranee said telepathically. _"Picking up those speakers and strobe lights before we came? Brilliant."_

"_Actually, I stole the idea from a guy at work, but thanks anyways." _Irma thought back. _"Now lets keep it going for another minute or two."_

"_Why?" _Will asked. _"We've already got him trapped."_

"_Who cares about him?"_ Irma replied. _"I just love this song!"_

Despite Irma's protests, the lights and music were turned off once the Shadow Walker was deemed fully incapacitated.

"What magic was that?" Balken asked, removing the earplugs that the Guardians had supplied for him.

"No magic." Taranee said. "Earth technology. We bought the loudest speakers and the brightest lights we could find, filled them with batteries and…"

Balken stared back with the girl with a quizzical expression, understanding none of what had just been said.

"You know what? Yeah, magic." Taranee said with a sigh.

The rest of the group surrounded the energy cage that held the Shadow Walker, staring at the villain. The Shadow Walker dejectedly stood up, and attempted to phase through the energy shield. As he knew it would be, the attempt was futile.

"Don't embarrass yourself." Will said. "We beat you, that's it. You can't escape, and we have the Heart. You know it, and we know it. The good guys win."

"You know nothing!" The Shadow Walker spat back. "You claim to be 'the good guys', but do any of you know what you fight for, or what you fight against?"

"Well, we're pretty sure we fight against you." Hay Lin said with a smile.

"And do you know who I truly am? What I truly am?" The Shadow Walker replied.

"This is nonsense!" Balken interrupted. "The creature is grasping at straws! Let us take him back to the palace, before he…"

"Actually, I'd kinda like to hear this." Will said.

"I will not allow…" Balken said, before a large, winged man stood stopped him.

"You won't allow?" Matt said, towering over Balken. "Perhaps we should just take the Heart back to Earth and leave you with the Shadow Walker. Minus the cage."

Balken frowned, but did nothing except swear under his breath.

"So, who are you?" Taranee asked the Shadow Walker.

"Umbron." Was all the Shadow Walker said.

"Impossible." Sneered Balken.

"Incredible." Breathed Grimm. "His description matches the texts, as do his abilities."

"I'm sorry, an Um-what now?" Irma asked, confused.

"The Umbrons are a story." Balken said. "A tale designed to frighten small children."

"There is a bit more to it then that." Grimm added. "But Balken is correct, they are just a story."

"Is that all we are?" the Shadow Walker said. "After all we fought for, after everything we lost, just a story?"

There was real anger behind the Shadow Walker's voice, and Will, having never heard the story of the Umbrons, found it hard to believe she wasn't staring at one.

"My mother always said to hear both sides of the story." Will said. "Shadow Walker, I'd like to hear yours."

Balken began to protest, but a glare from Matt shut him up.

"Then gather round, Guardians. And I will tell you the story of the Umbrons."

Only one member of the group had stopped paying attention. Selna grew weary of all this talking. She had thought the R.E.G had defeated the Shadow Walker, but now the 'Guardians' were talking to it instead of punishing it. Just one more way they had hurt her. She was thinking about what she was going to do with the Shadow Walker when she noticed something sparkle on the ground. She went over to look and noticed it was the Heart of Balsilide, simply lying in the dirt. The Shadow Walker must have dropped it during the fight, Selna thought.

She was about to tell Balken when she noticed something. The Heart wasn't sparkling, it was glowing. Selna could almost feel the power radiating off of the jewel, unlike it ever had before. With a cautious hand Selna bent down to pick it up.


	17. Remembrance Day

Chapter 16

Remembrance Day

Balsilide

"The creature lies!"

Balken crossed his arms, in case his statement had not been enough to tell the Guardians how he felt about the situation. Will gritted her teeth, trying to remember why she couldn't just punch Balken all the way back to Weldrick Palace. Fortunately for all involved, especially Balken, she restrained herself.

"Yes, yes, we heard you the first seven times you said that." Cornelia said to Balken with a sigh.

"The story of the Umbrons is one I want to hear." Will said. "And as for lying, well, we've got that covered."

Balken raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Irma's got these powers of… persuasion." Taranee said. "Like mind control, but on a very small scale."

"And?" Balken asked, not seeing the point.

"Well, I've figured out how to use it to make sure people, or in this case, Shadow Walkers, tell the truth." Irma said.

Balken was dubious of this claim, but had little power to do anything about it. A quick glance at Matt reminded him of how little that power was.

"Okay, tell us what you know." Will said as Irma focused.

"Very well then. Listen, and learn." The Shadow Walker said, closing his eyes.

Balsilide

500 Years Ago

The city of Corona was unlike any other that had ever been built. Houses were long and interconnected, like a web spun over the countryside. The Umbrons had no need for doors, so none existed. Fields flourished with crops, and the people, though they numbered few, greeted each other cheerfully as the passed each other by. It was a small, simple, but happy city.

For hundreds of years the city had grown from humble beginnings and flourished. Umbrons, like their city, were quite unique. They ate less, lived longer, and reproduced slowly, about one new child in the city a year. Everyone knew each other, and each new child was raised by the community, and taught the ways of the Umbron with love and guidance.

So it had been for hundreds of years, and so, thought the people, the city would remain for hundreds more. Until one day a young Umbron, only 70 years old, was exploring some of the cliffs around the city when he gazed out across the ocean, and for the first time in the history of the Umbrons, the boy saw a ship approaching from the East.

Balsilide

Present Day

"So you were the first people of Balsilide?" Taranee asked. "And the ship, that was the ancestors of Balken's people?"

"Only partly correct." the Shadow Walker replied. "There is no reason to believe we were 'first'. The Umbrons merely settled the West continent while Balken's people were in the East."

"This much is true." Balken said grumpily. "My people, the true Balsilidians, were born in the East, but that continent was barren and unforgiving. As soon as we could, our people set off in search of a new home. We found it in the West."

"True Balsilidians?" the Shadow Walker shouted at Balken. "How dare you…"

"You are no Balsilidian, monster!" Balken shouted back.

"Enough!" Will interrupted. "Let the Shadow Walker continue, then you two can go back to yelling at each other."

Balsilide

499 Years Ago

The City of Corona was unlike any other that had ever been built, but it was no longer alone. Over the year since the Easterners had arrived, they had been quick and efficient in building a city of their own. The Umbrons had never encountered anything like these new creatures. They walked like the animals of the forest and lacked several of the abilities that the Umbrons did. They were beings of flesh, not magic. Still, the people of Corona were not about to stand by and watch while a weaker species struggled to survive. They loaned and gave whatever items the Easterners needed, which were received with gratitude.

The differences in language made it hard for the two groups to communicate, but through time, enough was picked up for the two leaders to understand each other. Yet the Umbrons would have been very surprised to hear the words spoken by Lord Tenir as he sat around the head cabin with his lieutenant.

"They are on their way?" Lord Tenir asked.

"As many as can come." The lieutenant replied.

"Excellent." Tenir replied, quite pleased with himself.

"And what of the Umbrons? What should we tell our ships about them?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Why the truth of course." Tenir answered. "That they are a bloodthirsty race, who would kill us and eat us if they got the chance. Fortunately, the brave efforts of our men have secured the land for us."

The Lieutenant looked up from is writing with surprise.

"Sir? The Umbrons have been nothing but helpful." He said.

Tenir sighed and stood up, as if explaining something to a small child.

"This land is lush and fertile." Tenir said. "It would make a fine place to start a civilization, but it is finite. I don't plan to share it. And it's better for the settlers to view us as champion over a powerful foe then conquering a peaceful race."

The Lieutenant opened his mouth, and then stopped himself. He knew his place, and for the good of his family on the ship miles to the East, he held his tongue.

"How do you plan to rid this land of the Umbrons?" he asked. "They are significantly more powerful then us. They can walk through walls, they can extend their limbs like smoke, and their leader is 900 years old and yet he is still faster then I am! I doubt we could even touch them."

Lord Tenir just smiled.

"There are things that hurt more then steel." he answered.

Balsilide

498 Years Ago

The Umbrons were not a very scientific society. They were a rural community, and they knew what they needed to grow crops, survive the winter, and not much else. So while even the brightest scientific minds of Earth today would have been hard pressed to figure out how the Umbrons became intangible like they did, and it was far outside the understanding of the Umbrons themselves. Which left them even more confused when it stopped working.

The sickness, known as the Phasing, stuck quickly and brutally. It started with one of the elders, and within weeks had infected over 30% of the Umbrons population. Once infected, the body of an Umbron began turning intangible against that persons will. Eventually, the affected Umbron simply drifted apart.

The Phasing had begun only a year after the Easterners had arrived, a coincidence that did not escape the attention of the Umbrons. Accusations arose from the Umbron camp, and the Easterners did little to deny them. After all, they didn't need to. There was no cure, and no escape from the disease.

A year later, the Umbrons were gone. Ships of people were brought from the east to settle their new home. The Umbrons drifted from story, to legend, to myth, and the Easterners went about building the world that is today known as Balsilide.

However, unbeknownst to the Easterners, one Umbron had survived. One young Umbron had been immune to the Phasing, and on the advice of his community, had fled the city. It was feared that if the Easterners found they had failed in exterminating the Umbrons, they might try to finish the job. And so the young boy had to return once more to the cliffs where he had first seen the invaders, and look down at what was left of his city.

Balsilide

20 Years Ago

The Umbron got off the ground, and lunged with all the speed his tired form could muster, but it was no use. He watched with dismay as the energy dome closed in around him. He felt the heat radiating off of the walls as he pounded against them. The man on the other side of the dome, the Umbron's opponent for the past day, wiped the sweat off of his brow and smiled.

"I'm getting to old for this." Ezerial said, tossing the Heart of Balsilide in his hands.

The Umbron felt the gravity of the situation slowly dawn on him. For almost 500 years, he had waited and planned. Watched as the Easterners created a great city. He knew that he alone could not bring the city down, but as the years went by, he grew desperate. He had almost given up hope when he first saw what he believed to be the object of his salvation. One day, a man, the very man standing in front of him, had rescued two people from a fire. The man had lifted burning timbers as if they were nothing. Invulnerability, strength, true flight! Whatever gave this man his powers could surely help the Umbron take the city! With eager eyes, he had seen the small jewel around the mans neck, and began to plan.

He lured the man out of the city, far into the mountains where no one ever ventured, and there he attacked. For a full day, the two battled, the man never even quite sure what or who he was fighting. But as day turned to night and back to day, the Umbron slipped. Where once he pressed his advantage, he fell back. The man was an experienced fighter, and used his experience and cunning to trap the Umbron inside his energy prison.

"No!" the Umbron shouted, fear rising in his voice. "You can't! My people must be avenged!"

"You attacked me, tried to kill me, and tried to steal the Heart." Ezerial said. "If your people, if I can even call you a person, were anything like you, I'm glad their gone."

The Umbron collapsed as Ezerial walked away. At first, he felt like giving up, the weight of his burden crushing him once more. But as the hours turned to days, and the days turned to months, his determination outweighed his fear. Using the techniques taught to him by his ancestors, he grew what food he needed in the dome, and dug for his water. His Umbron physiology allowed him to survive on what little was available. When he had been trapped, it had been as a young, naïve Umbron. When the Heart, which supported the dome, lost it's powers Eight years later, out of the dust walked not a child, but a Shadow Walker.

Balsilide

Present Day

The girls exchanged glances as the Shadow Walker finished his story. As none of them knew quite what to do in the wake of this new information, all eyes ended up on Will, as they normally did.

"The creature lies." Balken repeated, but there was less conviction in his voice.

"If you could just stop saying that for just like, five minutes, that would be great." Will said, glaring at the R.E.G leader.

"Irma had her powers locked on him the whole time." Taranee added. "He wasn't lying."

Balken grunted unhappily but said nothing, allowing Will to continue.

"Everything he said seems to fit." Will said. "Fighting Ezerial, his hatred of Balsilide. It works."

"So what do we do about it?" Cornelia asked. "I mean, yeah, he's a villain, but he's the last of his kind. We can't just kill him."

"No, definitely not." Will agreed.

The girls paused as a voice spoke up from behind them.

"What? You will not take this from me!"

The girls recognized Selna's voice, even though they didn't see her. But there was something different in her voice. It seemed to echo, as though filled with power. They turned to find that the girl had changed dramatically. She stood taller, looked older, and in her hand was the glowing Heart of Balsilide.

"Aw nuts." Irma said.

"This… this thing has taken too much from me to be allowed to live." Selna said with hate that disguised her age. "It has been hunted down, it has been captured, and now it must die. You are already partially responsible for his crimes as it is, so if you try to get in my way…"

Selna raised the glowing Heart and aimed it at Will.

"Then I will take you down too."

The Girls grouped together, backs against the energy wall holding the Shadow Walker. A young orphan girl in front of them, and they were defending the creature who murdered her parents. A creature, however, who was fighting for it's own family, and was the last of its kind. Will sighed, and raised her own Heart, ready for a battle she had no desire to fight.


	18. Heat Wave

Chapter 17

Heat Wave

Balsilide

Will backed up into the energy wall, analyzing her options. Behind her was the creature who had wrecked havoc on Balsilide for the last month and a half, and who the girls had spent equally as long trying to capture. No sooner had they succeeded then they discovered that he was the last of his species, and the Guardians would not take part in genocide.

In front of Will was Selna, the girl whose parents had been murdered by the Shadow Walker with, sadly, a little help from the Guardians. She wanted revenge, and now she had the power to get it. The Heart of Balsilide had regained its powers during the fight, and Selna had picked it up, making her the true bearer. That put the Guardians in the unenviable position of protecting the Shadow Walker from the girl.

"Selna, let me explain…" Will began.

"There's nothing to explain!" Selna responded. "Get out of my way or I will destroy all of you! With this Heart, I have the power to do so!"

Will doubted the inexperienced Selna could actually do any damage to them, but she didn't want to find out. Without practice, and with her emotions as they were, Selna could end up hurting herself more then anyone else.

"He's the last of his kind." Taranee said. "We can't let you kill off an entire species!"

But Selna wasn't listening. It was hard for the Guardians to remember, but Selna was still quite young, and had just lost her parents. She didn't care much for reason.

"Let me at him! Now!" Selna shouted, raising the Heart.

Selna attacked quickly but Will's reflexes were better. Not wanting to attack back, Will simply shielded the girls from Selna's simple blasts. Will knew she could keep this up for a while, but not forever. Even if the girls wanted to do something, all five of them were pinned down. Then with a smile, Will remembered there weren't just five of them this time.

With incredible speed, Matt soared down on Selna, knocking the girl to the ground as gently as he could, and pinning her. At all times, making sure the Heart was pointed away from him.

"Will, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here!" Matt said, struggling to keep the girl down. "Any suggestions!"

"Keep her pinned! We're getting out of here!" Will shouted back, opening up a fold.

"No!" Balken interrupted. "The Shadow Walker is a Balsilidian fugitive! We will not let you take him away!"

"Kandrakar needs him." Taranee said. "Maybe you can take him from us, but do you really want to take him from them?"

Balken hesitated. He believed fully in the strength of his team, but he doubted anyone could take on the might of Kandrakar. He gritted his teeth and gripped his sword tightly, but did nothing. Meanwhile, Will had changed the prison around the Shadow Walker into a torpedo shape, leaving no room for the Shadow Walker to move. She hurled the trapped creature through the fold, keeping it open as the Guardians and Orube went through as well.

"Matt!" Will shouted with one leg through the fold.

"Coming!" Matt replied, flying off of Selna and through the fold just before Will closed it.

Kandrakar

Elder Tibor was minding his own business, doing his part to fix up the fortress, when a fold appeared in front of him. Being all too familiar with what usually followed, he stepped aside before the Shadow Walker came shooting through the fold, sliding across the tiles of Kandrakar. Following the Shadow Walker were the Guardians, Orube, and finally Will and Matt. It was quite a surprise for Tibor, seeing the group of seven catching their breaths while at all time keeping an eye on the strange creature, but Tibor was an experienced Elder, and little unnerved him. With a sigh, he went to fetch Yan Lin.

The Guardians used the few moments they had to get themselves together. Will made sure they had not been followed by any members of the R.E.G, and made sure the Shadow Walker had not managed to escape.

"Grandma's not going to be happy about this." Hay Lin said. "Not happy at all."

"There were better options?" Will replied.

"Oh, I didn't say that. I just said she wouldn't be happy." Hay Lin said.

"Well, you've had a busy day, haven't you?" Yan Lin said, approaching the girls and not looking happy.

"Uh, hi Yan Lin." Will said, "We brought you a present."

"Too bad it is neither my size, nor my color." Yan Lin said. "I asked you to bring me back the Heart of Balsilide, and instead you bring me a murderer. Hardly a fair trade."

"Yeah, see, we know how to deal with monsters, and tyrants, and warriors, but I must have missed the part where we learned how to defeat sixteen year old girls." Cornelia said.

"But hey, I'm sure we don't need to explain any of that to you, since you were watching." Irma added.

"That's true, we were watching." Yan Lin said matter-of-factly. "And because we were watching, the Elders of Kandrakar… find it very difficult to blame you. While it would have been nice to gain control of the Heart of Balsilide, you handled the situation well, and kept your priorities straight, namely the protection of the people around you."

"And we managed to catch the Shadow Walker and make sure he wasn't harmed." Will added. "Guess Balsilide didn't want to mess with Kandrakar."

"Yes, you did an excellent job of bluffing them." Yan Lin said.

"Thank you." Will said. "Wait, what do you mean 'bluff'?"

"Kandrakar does not play God." Yan Lin said. "The Shadow Walker is a Balsilidian criminal, and theoretically they can do with him what they want. If they wanted to execute him, they would have every right to, and we could not interfere."

"So, do we have to take him back?" Hay Lin asked. "Since I'm pretty sure this counts as interfering."

"Given the unique circumstances, I believe that what the Balsilidians don't know won't hurt them." Yan Lin said with a smile. "You did the right thing bringing the Shadow Walker here. Since he is the last of his people, we will treat him as he deserves, with hopes of rehabilitation."

"Uh, I hate to bring this up, but he did kill people." Irma said. "Shouldn't he be punished a little?"

"Until we know exactly what to do with him, we will keep him in the Tower of Mists, with the rest of the prisoners." Yan Lin explained

Will glanced over at the Shadow Walker, and saw that he was clearly not happy with his position. Nevertheless, Will noticed that some of the hatred was gone from his eyes. He may have failed in his mission, but there were now those who knew of his plight and understood it, and that was something he had not had in a very long time.

"So, what now?" Irma asked. "'Cause I've got work tomorrow, and I'd like to get a few hours of sleep tonight…"

"Kandrakar will handle the Shadow Walker." Yan Lin said. "The Heart of Balsilide must remain your top priority, but we all agree that tonight there is little you can do on that front."

"Awesome." Will said. "Mom's out tonight with Dean, so Matt, you want to come on over? Might be nice to have a chance to unwind after all that's happened."

"Can we make it tomorrow?" Matt asked. "I'm not used to all this excitement like you are. I need my beauty sleep."

"Yeah, I guess." Will replied. "Hey, what are you girls doing tonight?"

"Sleeping." Answered all four girls in unison.

"I don't plan on being awake for the next twenty-four hours, so no worlds better end." Hay Lin said with a yawn.

"I'll make sure the worlds are aware of that." Yan Lin said with a smile.

She gave her granddaughter a quick hug, and watched as the Guardians headed back to Earth.

Heatherfield

For the first time in what seemed like eternity to Cornelia, it wasn't the light coming through her windows or the alarm clock on her dresser that woke her up. It was the heat. Summer had announced its arrival by beginning the first heat wave of the year, with temperatures rising throughout the week. Cornelia simply tossed the covers aside, lay back, and enjoyed the warmth. It was with an uncharacteristic groan that Cornelia heard her phone ring, and rolled over to grab it.

"Mmmmm, what do you want?" Cornelia answered groggily.

"I'm sorry, am I waking you?"

Cornelia eyes opened wide and she hastily sat up. She was expecting one of the girls, or Yan Lin at the worst, but this was a male voice on the other end, and one she knew.

"Timothy!" Cornelia said. "No, uh, not really. Anyways, it's no bother."

"I'm sorry, but it was noon, so I figured you'd be up by now." Timothy replied apologetically.

Cornelia checked her clock, surprised to find that Timothy was completely right about the time.

"Yeah, well, long night last night." Cornelia said. "Anyways, what's up?"

"I'd like to know if you wanted to go to _Sava's _tomorrow night." Timothy replied.

Cornelia squinted at the phone as if it was a strange object. This wasn't the first time he had made such a request, but something was different this time.

"Will the rest of the gang be there?" Cornelia asked.

"No, actually." Timothy replied. "I'd like it to just be the two of us this time."

Cornelia's shoulders slumped. _Sava's _was not a fun, hang-out-with-friends type of restaurant. It was fancier, classier, and as Cornelia knew, was considered to be much more romantic. It was pretty obvious that Timothy wanted to change the nature of their friendship, and it was happening much quicker than Cornelia anticipated.

"Um, I'll need some time to decide." Cornelia said quickly, searching her mind for options.

"Oh? About what?" Timothy replied, disappointment in his voice.

"Just to see if my schedule is clear." Cornelia hastily added. "I just need to check some things first. I'll let you know this afternoon, okay?"

"Well, I suppose that's alright…" Timothy said.

"Great, talk to you later." Cornelia said.

"Okay, but…"

Cornelia quickly closed the phone. There was no sense denying it. This had quickly gone from an amusing problem to a potential catastrophe. Only a month ago, she was happy and content with her love life. But now, Timothy had come, and Caleb was so different. This wasn't about silly crushes on cute guys. She had to make a serious choice about her future.

What bothered Cornelia the most was that she wasn't even sure how she wanted it to end. Before, she would have sworn by Caleb, but now? She was seriously considering Timothy's offer, and that both frightened and exited her. One way or another, Cornelia thought as she called Will, she had to make a decision, and she had to do it now. She needed to talk to Caleb.


End file.
